Skip to main content

Telegram ban reversed as company tells Brazilian Supreme Court it didn’t get its emails

The Telegram ban imposed in Brazil has now been overturned. The secure messaging app was banned in the country for failing to comply with court orders to take down groups and channels used by criminal gangs, as well as those used by politicians to spread disinformation.

Amusingly, Telegram says that it didn’t comply with the orders because it didn’t receive the emails …

Background

The ban was announced on Friday.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday ordered the suspension of messaging app Telegram, saying it had repeatedly refused to adhere to judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading disinformation or comply with the country’s laws, according to a copy of the ruling seen by Reuters […]

Moraes also ordered Apple and Google to help block users on their platforms from being able to use Telegram in Brazil […]

In response, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov apologized for the company’s “negligence,” and asked the court to delay its ruling for a few days as it sought to improve compliance.

Telegram ban reversed

Durov said that Telegram would have complied, but the right people never received the emails from the Supreme Court.

We complied with an earlier court decision in late February and responded with a suggestion to send future takedown requests to a dedicated email address. Unfortunately, our response must have been lost, because the Court used the old general-purpose email address in further attempts to reach us. As a result, we missed its decision in early March that contained a follow-up takedown request. Luckily, we have now found and processed it, delivering another report to the Court today. 

The CEO apologized to the court for the company’s negligence in failing to respond.

On behalf of our team, I apologize to the Brazilian Supreme Court for our negligence. We definitely could have done a better job. 

Photo: Dima Solomin/Unsplash

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications