A Brazilian judge on Saturday overturned the country’s suspension of online messaging Telegram, decided last week for failing to provide authorities with data on neo-Nazi groups active on the platform, a federal court said.
The magistrate considered that this suspension throughout the country was “unreasonable”, because it affects “the freedom of communication of thousands of people who have no connection with the facts examined”, indicated the federal regional court- 2, based in Rio de Janeiro, in a statement.
However, he upheld the daily fine of one million reais ($198,000) imposed on the company by the trial judge until it provided the requested information.
The federal police and the Brazilian prosecutor’s office had asked Telegram to provide them with personal data on all members of the organizations “Brazilian Antisemitic Movement” and “Antisemitic Front”, which the authorities have linked to attacks in schools in recent months.
In November, a 16-year-old boy shot dead four people and injured a dozen at two schools in the state of Espirito Santo, in southeastern Brazil.
A popular application for Bolsonaro supporters
The young man was “allegedly a member of extremist groups on Telegram, where neo-Nazi material was shared along with the broadcast of tutorials on killing and making explosive devices, and videos of violent deaths,” the court said.
The Dubai-based company, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands, argued in a statement Thursday that the requested information was “technologically unobtainable” and said it would appeal.
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, a blogger supporting the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro under investigation for misinformation.
Brazil is one of the key markets where Telegram is trying to gain share against its competitor WhatsApp, used by almost the entire population. The app was, and remains, widely used, especially by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro: the former Brazilian president has over a million subscribers on the platform, where he is still very active.
