School safety: Justice Ministry asks Twitter to remove 170 accounts
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security requested the exclusion of 270 Twitter accounts that were spreading hashtags linked to school attacks across the country. The move is part of operation Escola Segura (“Safe School”) organized by the ministry in partnership with state authorities.
Ever since the case that took place in a school in Blumenau, Santa Catarina state, last Wednesday (Apr. 5)—in which four children died and five were injured—the ministry’s Cyber Operations Laboratory has offered support to a newly created inter-ministerial working group by monitoring social networks and gathering data on possible threats to schools.
Their content and authors are said to be under scrutiny. Search warrants were served and led to the seizure of seven weapons. One suspect was arrested. Tik Tok was also asked to take down two accounts that were sharing content that incited fear in families.
Safe schools
The authorities in the operation identified over 80 profiles removed due violations to Tik Tok policies. Their content has been preserved at the ministry’s request to allow further investigations.
The initiative has engaged 51 heads of investigative police and 89 intelligence officials for public security, including both civil and military agents.
The efforts should continue indefinitely, 24 hours a day.
