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Brazil’s Justice Minister announced on Wednesday that Telegram messaging will be suspended across the country. The platform is accused of not having communicated data on neo-Nazi groups active within it. The authorities are particularly concerned about the violence produced in schools by these groups.
Justice on Wednesday April 26 ordered the suspension of Telegram throughout Brazil, the online messaging service having failed to provide authorities with data on neo-Nazi groups active on the platform.
As part of an investigation “on neo-Nazi groups present on social networks, (…) justice ordered the suspension of Telegram, considering that this network had not responded to its requests”, declared during a press conference the Minister of Justice, Flavio Dino. “We know that (the messages broadcast by these groups on the networks) produce violence” in schools, he added, an allusion to the recent wave of deadly attacks in schools.
During one of these attacks, on April 5, in Blumenau (south), a man killed four children with an ax in a nursery, arousing great emotion throughout the country.
The government then took a series of measures to regulate and control social networks.
180,000 euros per day fine
In its judgment published on Wednesday, the Federal Court of the State of Espirito Santo (southeast) recalls that the Federal Police had asked Telegram to provide it with the personal data of all the members of messaging groups entitled “Anti-Semitic Movement Brazilian” and “Anti-Semitic Front”, but that this request had only been “partially” satisfied.
According to the G1 news site, investigators have discovered that a 16-year-old teenager who in November 2022 shot and killed four people (three teachers and a 12-year-old student) at a school in Aracruz, Espirito Santo , was in contact with anti-Semitic groups on Telegram.
“It is obvious that Telegram is not cooperating with the ongoing investigation”, concludes the court ruling, whose fine of one million reals (180,000 euros) per day will remain in force until the data requested be provided to the police.
In March 2022, a Supreme Court judge had already threatened to block Telegram in Brazil, for “non-compliance with judicial orders”, in particular the request to suspend the account of Allan dos Santos, blogger supporters of the former president. far-right Jair Bolsonaro under investigation for disinformation.
With AFP
