Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered Telegram to be shut down by a key justice, saying that it has not cooperated properly with authorities.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes stated in his ruling that Telegram did not speak up after being ordered by police to remove profiles linking to blogger Allan dos Santos. Allan dos Santos is an ally to President Jair Bolsonaro and accused of spreading falsehoods.
Moraes, who is the chair of a probe into misinformation on Brazilian social media, issued an October warrant for Dos Santos’ arrest. However, the activist is still active on Telegram.
In his ruling, the justice stated that Telegram Brazil’s work will be suspended in its entirety until any pending judicial decisions are made.
Moraes allowed Apple, Google, and Brazilian telephone carriers five days to block Telegram on their platforms.
Telegram did not comment on the decision of justice and their calls to their legal representative weren’t returned. Friday afternoon, the service was still operational.
Many of Bolsonaro’s supporters have switched to Telegram after WhatsApp, the messaging app that is rivaled Bolsonaro, changed its policy for message sharing. Moraes and Brazil’s highest court have been accused by Bolsonaro of enforcing restrictions on freedom of speech.
