A court in Brazil has suspended Telegram, accusing the company of not cooperating with a probe into neo-Nazi violence.
Brazil has been struggling with an uptick of neo-Nazi violence, much of it directed at schoolchildren.
“There are groups called ‘Anti-Semitic Front’ and ‘Anti-Semitic Movement’ acting in those networks, and we know that this is at the core of violence against our children,” said Justice Minister Flavio Dino, via Barron’s.
The judge said Telegram was “not complying,” and levied a $198,000 fine and a “temporary suspension of (its) activities.”
Telegram is a popular encrypted messaging app, although it doesn’t offer the same level of security as Signal. While it does provide end-to-end encryption, the feature is opt-in.
Barron’s reports that officials asked the service for information on members of two different anti-Semetic groups, but the company only provided info on a single administrator. Officials said there was “intent by Telegram not to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.”
