MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil: Telegram removes postings against Fake News Bill

Telegram acquiesced to a ruling by STF Justice De Moraes

The Telegram messaging service platform Wednesday acquiesced to a Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling and removed all postings against the so-called Fake News bill which is already under Congressional debate, Agencia Brasil reported.

Telegram Brazil deleted the message sent en masse the day before, to users of the digital platform in the country. The text of the deleted message was against the approval of Bill 2.630, known as the Fake News Bill to combat the dissemination of false content and digital violence.

The app also sent, at 15:41 Wednesday, a new message to all users with the communication that the previous text contained illegalities that undermined the powers of the Republic and democracy.

”We have received an order from the Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil that forces Telegram to remove our previous message about Bill 2630/2020 and send a new message to users, which is included below,“ says the new message.

”By determination of the STF, the company Telegram communicates: The previous message from Telegram characterized FLAGRANT and ILLEGAL DISINFORMATION offensive to the National Congress, the Judiciary, the Rule of Law and the Brazilian Democracy, because it fraudulently distorted the discussion and debates on the regulation of social network providers and private messaging services (Bill 2630), in an attempt to induce and instigate users to coerce parliamentarians,” it adds.

The measures were adopted after Supreme Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes ordered Telegram to delete Tuesday's message and send a new corrective text within 60 minutes.

Telegram's representatives in Brazil must be heard by the Federal Police in the next because the mass spreading of the message can be understood as an abuse of economic power and the practice of disinformation by digital militias on social networks, according to De Moraes.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino praised De Moraes' decision against what he calls “Telegram abuses.” Dino insisted on the need for regulatory frameworks for digital companies: “The digital Wild West is incompatible with the Constitution,” he said.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)