Telegram Involved In Domestic Political Conflict, Now Forced To Comply With Brazilian Supreme Court

Telegram had to comply with the Brazilian Supreme Court. (photo: unsplash doc)

JAKARTA - Brazil's Supreme Court on Sunday, March 20, lifted an order to suspend the use of the messaging app Telegram in the country. According to a statement on the court's website, this came after Telegram complied with a court request to block accounts suspected of spreading disinformation.

On Friday March 8, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension, saying Telegram had repeatedly refused to comply with court orders to freeze accounts that spread fake news or comply with state laws.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov responded to this by apologizing for the company's "negligence" in responding to the court order.

Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his supporters are increasingly relying on Telegram as a form of mass communication just as other big tech companies such as Meta Platform Inc., whose messaging app WhatsApp, Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter have complied with the Court's order. Agung to remove the violating account for allegedly spreading disinformation.

Moraes had given a Sunday deadline for Telegram to comply with his orders, including freezing accounts belonging to Allan dos Santos, an activist linked to Bolsonaro.

In a Supreme Court statement, Moraes said Telegram had shown "full compliance." "I revoke the decision to completely suspend the operation of Telegram in Brazil," he added.

The court also said that Telegram had appointed Alan Campos Elias Thomaz as its legal representative in Brazil, to fulfill the main request.

Moraes' move further fueled debate over free speech in politically polarized Brazil in the final chapter in the crusading justice battle with Bolsonaro and his allies.

The court has also presided over a series of Supreme Court investigations into Bolsonaro and his supporters for spreading fake news. The investigation has angered many right-wing groups and raised questions about judicial outreach.

While Bolsonaro denounced the suspension as "unacceptable."