Telegram Banned in Brazil for Unread Mail

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Brazil’s Supreme Court blocked messaging app Telegram last week for not responding to a demand to remove disinformation channels.

The company says the mail went wrong and has since closed the channels. The service should therefore be accessible again in the country. The Supreme Court’s verdict was handed down Friday. The Brazilian judge ruled that Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, had ignored orders to remove specific channels.

The service also does not comply with the country’s laws, the judge said. Telegram’s suspension would last until the company removes the channels, pays a series of fines and has a representative appear before the Supreme Court, Reuters news agency reported.

Telegram tells tech site The Verge that it was a misunderstanding in response to the suspension. The Brazilian Supreme Court is said to have sent its requests to the wrong email address, causing them to be overlooked.

Telegram, meanwhile, is said to have made several adjustments, including removing the channel of Allan dos Santos, an activist and supporter of President Bolsonaro. He is often accused of spreading disinformation. The messaging service also promises to label posts containing false information from now on and promote more truthful information. The Supreme Court will also lift the blockade on the service after two days.

Telegram is one of the more popular communication channels for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has more than a million followers on the service. However, the man has been accused of spreading disinformation, including about the covid pandemic, which has already earned him a ban on YouTube and Facebook. Brazil is also currently under investigation into Bolsonaro for distributing secret police documents.