RIO-DE-JANEIRO, March 20. /TASS/. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is ready to overturn the court’s order to suspend Telegram messenger in the country if its administration comply with the court’s requirements in 24 hours, the Globo TV channel reported on Saturday.
"To date, Telegram has complied with part of the court orders, it is necessary to fulfill them in full in order to reverse the decision to suspend it," according to the new decision of de Moraes quoted by the TV channel.
According to Globo, the judge took into account the fact that the administration of the messenger indicated a new address for communication on the issue of suspension, including for receiving court correspondence. The messenger also briefed the court about the measures that have already been taken.
In particular, the court requires Telegram to appoint an official representative in Brazil, to report on measures to counter the spread of disinformation. De Moraes pointed to the need to remove messages containing links to information related to the secrecy of the investigation from the Telegram channel of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The court also ruled that the messenger should remove several channels of pro-government political bloggers accused of spreading false news. The new requirements were submitted to the Telegram administration at 16:44 local time on Saturday (22:44 Moscow time).
Suspension of Telegram in Brazil
On Friday, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled to suspend the messenger until March 23 saying it had repeatedly refused to adhere to judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading disinformation or comply with the country's laws. Providers that fail to comply with the decision, as well as users who try to bypass the blocking, face a fine of 100,000 reais ($20,000). In addition, the court ordered Apple and Google to remove Telegram from their mobile app stores.
In January, the Valor Economico newspaper reported that Telegram could be banned in Brazil due to concerns about the spread of disinformation using the app in light of this year's general elections. The publication noted that the former head of the Supreme Electoral Court, Luis Roberto Barroso, unsuccessfully tried several times to contact Pavel Durov's company. Durov himself on Friday apologized on his Telegram channel for communication problems that led to the ban of the messenger in the country, and asked the court to postpone its blocking. The founder of Telegram attributed the incident to a malfunction in the work of e-mail.
Telegram has recently gained popularity among supporters of Bolsonaro, who successfully used social networks and instant messaging apps during the 2018 election campaign. The next general election, in which the citizens of the republic will have to elect the President, deputies and a third of the senators of the federal parliament, as well as state governors, is scheduled for October 2, the second round (if necessary) will be held on October 30.