World News | Brazilian Judge Orders Suspension of Telegram

SAO PAULO, April 27 (AP) — A federal judge in Brazil ordered the temporary suspension of messaging app Telegram on Wednesday, citing the social media platform’s alleged failure to provide all the information requested by federal police about neo-Nazi chat groups.

The move is believed to be part of the country’s push against rising school violence.

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The judge also raised the daily fine for non-compliance to 1 million reais (about 200,000 U.S. dollars) from the previous 100,000 reais, according to a ruling provided by the justice ministry’s press office.

“The facts presented by the police show that Telegram had the express purpose of not cooperating with the investigation,” said the Espírito Santo state federal court’s ruling. Efforts to stop Telegram were already underway, Brazil’s federal police confirmed in a statement.

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Telegram’s press office did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on whether it had knowledge of the ruling and communications with federal police.

The developments come as the country grapples with a wave of school attacks, including an incident in November in which a man with a swastika on his vest shot dead in the small town of Alacruz, in the state of Espírito Santo. 4 people were killed and 12 were injured.

Since 2000, Brazil has seen nearly two attacks or violence at schools, half of which occurred in the past 12 months, including the killing of four children in a daycare center on April 5.

Brazil’s federal government has been working to stamp out violence in schools, paying particular attention to the alleged nefarious influence of social media.

The regulation of social media platforms was a recurring theme at a meeting earlier this month of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his ministers, Supreme Court justices, governors and mayors.

The goal is to prevent further incidents, especially by holding platforms accountable for failing to remove content that incites violence.

In an April 18 session, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes called social media a “no man’s land” where users can still engage in actions and statements that are illegal in real life, and Indicates the need for regulation. Lula also expressed support for regulation.

Last year, de Moraes ordered a nationwide shutdown of Telegram, citing its failure to cooperate with authorities.

In his ruling, he said Telegram had repeatedly ignored requests from Brazilian authorities, including police requests to block profiles and provide user information, and gave Apple, Google and Brazilian phone operators five days to block Telegram on their platforms.

At the time, one of Telegram’s founders issued a statement citing a miscommunication caused by an outdated email address, before apologizing to the Supreme Court for his negligence.

The platform was not dismantled.

Far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro and his allies are encouraging followers to join Telegram after January 2021 — the same month that former US President Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter following the Jan. 6 riots. Inspiration for a Brazilian leader. Capitol Hill. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)