Brazilian Court Asks Telegram To Stop Its Application For Not Cooperatively Share Neo-NAZI Data

JAKARTA - The Brazilian court ordered a temporary suspension of Telegram encrypted messaging applications in the country to comply with orders to share information about extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform.

This decision, issued by Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva in a court in Espirito Santo's country, also increased the non-compliance fine to one million reais (Rp 2.9 billion) per day.

Federal police requested an order to terminate after Telegram failed to comply with previous court decisions to provide data on two neo-Nazi groups on the app accused of provoking school violence.

Since Telegram did not comply with court orders, the judge said telecommunications companies in the country should start blocking access to messaging services and app downloads.

Local media reported that federal police requested contact with administrators and members, as well as user phone numbers from the groups.

Telegram only "partly" met demand by sending limited information last Friday, April 21 according to the G1 news site.

Telegram calls itself a messaging app that focuses on speed and privacy and says secret chats in particular use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers.

The police's request to "end the confidentiality" of the groups was carried out as part of an investigation into attacks by extremists at schools in Brazil in recent weeks that killed five people. Telegram has not responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

Last year, Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the termination of the application, arguing that Telegram has repeatedly refused to comply with judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading fake news and failed to comply with Brazilian law.