Brazil’s Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region has lifted the suspension of encrypted messaging app, Telegram. The suspension was imposed earlier in the week for its noncompliance in sharing information about extremist and neo-Nazi groups that were allegedly using the platform. The judge, Flávio Lucas, upheld the suspension of a daily fine of 1 million reais on Telegram for failing to provide the requested data.
Telegram’s Claim of Prioritising Speed and Privacy
Telegram claims that its messaging app prioritises speed and privacy and that its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption not stored on its servers. The Pavel Durov-owned company told the police that the Telegram groups had been deleted and that it could not recover the data.
Pavel Durov’s Reaction to the Move
Reacting to the move, Telegram Founder Pavel Durov wrote, “Telegram’s mission is to preserve privacy and freedom of speech around the world. In cases where local laws go against this mission or impose technologically unfeasible requirements, we sometimes have to leave such markets. In the past, countries like China, Iran, and Russia have banned Telegram due to our principled stance on the matter of human rights. Such events, while unfortunate, are still preferable to the betrayal of our users and the beliefs we were founded on.”
Brazil’s Battle Against School Attacks
The ban on Telegram in Brazil comes in the wake of the country’s battle with a wave of school attacks. The country has seen almost two dozen attacks or violent episodes in schools since 2000, half of them in the last 12 months, including the killing of four children at a daycare center on April 5.
Impact of Telegram Ban
When the suspension was enforced, local network carriers in Brazil complied with the ruling due to which several Telegram users were unable to use the social network platform. Apple and Google were also ordered to block the app.
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