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A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court docket on Friday ordered the shutdown of messaging app Telegram nationwide, arguing it has not cooperated with authorities. The transfer is a blow to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has greater than 1 million followers on the platform and defends it as a key software for his reelection bid in October.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes mentioned in his ruling that Telegram repeatedly ignored requests from Brazilian authorities, together with a police request to dam profiles and supply data linked to blogger Allan dos Santos, an ally of Bolsonaro’s accused of spreading falsehoods.
The justice added that Telegram has additionally failed to call a authorized consultant in Brazil, in contrast to its rivals.
A lot of Bolsonaro’s supporters have turned to Telegram because the messaging app’s competitor WhatsApp modified its insurance policies on message sharing. The president has typically accused de Moraes and Brazil’s high court docket of rulings that go in opposition to freedom of speech.
De Moraes, who chairs a probe on misinformation in Brazilian social media, issued a warrant for dos Santos’ arrest in October. The activist, a fugitive now primarily based in the US, has remained energetic on Telegram, although.
“The Telegram platform, in each attainable alternative, did not heed judicial orders in a complete disregard for the Brazilian judiciary,” de Moraes mentioned in his ruling. He added the suggestion to close down the app got here from federal police.
Dos Santos mentioned de Moraes’ choices “are primarily based solely on his will.”
“Sooner or later he should cease or to be stopped,” the blogger instructed Jovem Pan, a radio and TV channel which broadcasts Bolsonaro’s stay transmissions each week. “I do not consider the Brazilian individuals will settle for these atrocities.”
The justice mentioned in his ruling that “the entire and full suspension of the works of Telegram in Brazil will stay till the judicial choices beforehand issued are carried out.”
De Moraes gave Apple, Google and Brazilian cellphone carriers 5 days to dam Telegram from their platforms.
Bolsonaro and his allies have inspired followers to hitch Telegram since January of 2021 __ the identical month former U.S. President Donald Trump, an inspiration for the Brazilian chief, was completely suspended from Twitter within the wake of the riot at Capitol Hill.
In January, Bolsonaro was requested by supporters what he considered investigations into Telegram.
“It’s cowardice what they’re making an attempt to do to Brazil,” he responded.
Telegram has not commented on the justice’s determination and calls to their authorized consultant weren’t returned. The service remained operational Friday afternoon.
In his ruling, de Moraes additionally mentions Telegram failing to take away deceptive content material from the president’s web page on the nation’s digital voting system.
Whereas Bolsonaro’s Telegram web page has greater than 1 million followers, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the frontrunner to October’s presidential elections, has 48,000.
Members of Brazil’s electoral authority have expressed concern about Telegram’s lengthy silence amid Bolsonaro’s unfounded claims that the election can be rigged until printed receipts for votes are instituted.
The most recent request from Brazilian authorities looking for Telegram’s cooperation got here on March 9, when the chairman of the electoral authority wrote to one of many messaging app’s founders, Pavel Durov.
His predecessor additionally tried to achieve Telegram leaders on Dec. 16. Brazil’s electoral authority mentioned on the time that Durov was not discovered on the firm’s headquarters within the United Arab Emirates.
One in every of Bolsonaro’s closest allies, lawmaker Carla Zambelli, referred to as de Moraes “a tyrant” for the choice.
“Alexandre (de Moraes) blocked Telegram, the one software during which we presently have freedom of speech,” she mentioned on Twitter.
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