The Telegram messaging service will appeal the suspension of the Brazilian justice, according to a statement released this Thursday on the platform by its executive director, Pavel Durov, in which he promises to “defend the privacy and freedom of expression” of users.
Source: AFP
On Wednesday, The justice of the South American country ordered the temporary suspension of Telegram for not delivering requested data to the authorities of neo-Nazi groups that act on the platform, within the framework of an investigation related to violence in schools.
According to Durov, the requested information is “technologically impossible to obtain” for the company.
“We are appealing the decision and awaiting the final resolution,” he wrote in the note.
The Brazilian court also imposed a fine of one million reais per day (USD 198,000) until the company, based in Dubai and registered in the British Virgin Islands, according to its website, complies with the request from local authorities.
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“No matter the cost, we will defend our users in Brazil and their right to private communication,” Durov added.
This Thursday, the application worked with instability, as reported by Brazilian users, who shared tips to circumvent the blockade, AFP found.
The creator of Telegram – where communication is end-to-end encrypted – recalled other cases in which the company left markets, such as China, Iran or Russia, because local laws were “opposed” to their privacy principles or imposed requirements ” technologically unfeasible”.
That is “preferable to betrayal of our users and our beliefs”, Durov indicated in his message.
The Federal Justice of Espirito Santo (southeast of Brazil), the Federal Police and the prosecutor’s office had requested Telegram personal data of all members of the channels “Brazilian Anti-Semitic Movement” and “Anti-Semitic Front”.
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Authorities associate them with attacks on Brazilian schools in recent months.
Last November, a 16-year-old teenager shot dead four people and wounded more than ten at two schools in Espirito Santo.
This young man interacted with anti-Semitic groups on Telegram, according to police sources cited by the G1 site.
The court said that the company “partially” complied with the authorities’ request, and accused it of “not cooperating with the investigation.”
