The Telegram messaging application refused to block the channel of elected federal parliamentarian Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG).
In a letter sent to the Brazilian censorship czar and Justice of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes, the company’s lawyers asked that the block be reconsidered and stated that many Court decisions for the removal of content are made with “generic grounds” and in a “disproportionate way”.
According to O Globo, the company’s demonstration occurred in the inquiry investigating ‘anti-democratic acts’, created out of thin air by Moraes’ to persecute conservative Brazilians.
In it, Telegram informs that it complied with Moraes’ determination in relation to three other channels: two of them linked to presenter Bruno Aiub, known as Monark, and another to Bolsonarist influencer Paula Marisa.
A letter sent to the Justice classifies the determinations to block profiles as censorship and states that the punishment “prevents a space for free communication for legitimate speeches, implying censorship and curbing the right of Brazilian citizens to freedom of expression”.
The platform also claims that “no grounds or justification for the complete blocking” of the elected parliamentarian’s profile was presented.
The application’s lawyers also claim that the decision also did not identify “the specific content that would be considered illegal”.
Still in the text, the company, in the text appeals to the “principle of proportionality” and states that, although it has complied with them, the blocking orders given by the STF are sometimes generic and do not establish a “skillful period” for compliance.
CENSORSHIP
The conflict between digital platforms and the STF dates back to previous years. In March 2022, Moraes even suspended the operation of Telegram in Brazil.
The minister claimed that the company ignored court decisions in Brazil and that it had not even appointed a legal representative in the country.
After the platform gave in to his demands, Moraes revoked his own decision.
With information from Brasil Sem Medo