Brazil fines Telegram for not suspending accounts of Bolsonaro followers

the judge of Federal Supreme Court of BrazilAlexandre de Moraes, fined the messaging application Telegram for failing to comply with a judicial order that requested the suspension of the accounts of the followers of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Telegram will receive a fine of 1.2 million reais ($236,527), according to the decision.

The ruling, issued in the framework of an investigation into acts of vandalism in public buildings in the country’s capital at the beginning of the month, indicated that Telegram was ordered to block five accounts that had shared content related to hate speech and the promotion of hate speech. of institutional breakdown.

However, Telegram did not block an account owned by Congressman-elect Nikolas Ferreira, according to the decision.

Ferreira was the most voted congressman in Brazil in the 2022 elections, reaching 1.47 million votes.

“Intentional non-compliance by the providers involved objectively indicates consent to the perpetuation of the crimes investigated,” says the ruling.

Moraes gave Telegram five days to pay the fine from the day of the decision.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In March 2022, Moraes ordered the suspension of the Telegram messaging app, saying it had repeatedly refused to comply with court orders to freeze accounts that spread disinformation. The suspension was revoked days later, after the company complied with court orders.