The Federal Court of Espírito Santo determined, in the early hours of today (27), the suspension of the Telegram application, a social network for exchanging messages widely known and used in Brazil.
The decision was made after the company failed to submit data on anti-Semitic extremist groups.
Understand the case involving Telegram
The court had requested complete information on participants in neo-Nazi groups, due to their links to the attack on a school in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, which occurred in November last year.
The attack, which left 12 people injured and 4 people dead, is believed to have occurred due to anti-Semitism, as Nazi symbols and illegal content were found on the computer of the perpetrator of the attacks, a 16-year-old boy.
Although the request, made on Wednesday, the 19th, was for complete data, the messaging platform sent only partial data about the administrator of the anti-Semitic group to the Federal Police.
This decision led to the suspension of the application in the national territory. In addition, a daily fine of R$1 million was imposed on Telegram until it provided the requested information.
The company’s stance of simply excluding the neo-Nazi group from its platform was poorly received and seen as a generic excuse for not complying with the Federal Court’s decisions.
The Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, agrees with the decision and claims that groups like these pose a risk to the lives of children and adolescents in the country.
The National Consumer Secretariat met today in a meeting with Anatel to discuss the case. The secretary and leader of the public body, Wadih Nemer Damous, from the PT, warned communication companies operating in the country, suggesting that they combat the spread of hate and misinformation on their virtual platforms.
The decision taken by the Court demonstrates concern on the part of public bodies for the safety of the population, since communications companies are responsible for controlling the dissemination of these extremist speeches and violent and illegal content.