On several occasions, Telegram "did not respect judicial orders", wrote judge Alexandre de Moraes in this judgment, which orders "the complete and integral suspension of the operation in Brazil of Telegram", downloaded on 53% of mobile phones and very popular with supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
This Russian-based app, headquartered in Dubai, was a keystone of Mr. Bolsonaro's campaign strategy, which aims for presidential re-election in October and defends freedom of expression without limit .
Unlike other platforms, there is virtually no content moderation of posts and groups can have up to 200,000 members, greatly increasing the viral potential of fake news.
“Our Telegram account gives daily information on actions of national interest (of the government), which are unfortunately omitted by many” media, had written the head of state Friday morning on Twitter, before the publication of the Judgment by Mr Moraes.
The Supreme Court judge cites in particular Telegram's refusal to block, at the request of Brazilian justice, the account of Allan dos Santos, a Bolsonarist blogger under investigation for disinformation.
The magistrate also mentioned the platform's lack of cooperation in child pornography cases.
© 2022 AFP