Court orders suspension of Telegram in Brazil

The Federal Court of Law in the state of Espírito Santo ordered on Tuesday (Apr. 25) the suspension of Telegram's operation in Brazil. The decision was issued after the app failed to provide the requested information regarding neo-Nazi groups active on Telegram.

In addition, the court imposed a daily fine of BRL 1 million on Telegram or 5 percent of the company's revenues in Brazil in 2022, whichever is lower, for failing to provide the requested data. “The facts proved by the police authority reveal Telegram's evident purpose of not cooperating with the ongoing investigation," the court noted.

Investigation

Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva had requested information about the users of an antisemitic channel and a chat, which propagated neo-Nazi concepts and symbols. The requested data included the names of the groups' users, taxpayer number (CPF), profile picture, e-mail, address, and bank details, among others. The information passed on to the Justice, however, was considered insufficient.

“Despite the prompt response, the information provided failed to comply with the court's order. "It should be noted that the court's determination was for Telegram to submit the registration data of ALL members of the channel and chat group," the note states. However, the app had only provided a small amount of data and had only identified the administrator of one of the groups.

The encrypted messaging app Telegram has been suspended since Wednesday (26).