Telegram ban lifted in Brazil

According to a report by The New York Times, Brazil lifted the ban on Telegram after the country's Supreme Court blocked the messaging app on Friday for failing to comply with court orders.

The court reversed its ban after Telegram made several changes to help keep disinformation in the country at bay. This includes removing classified information shared by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and removing accounts belonging to Allan dos Santos, an activist and Bolsonaro supporter accused of spreading disinformation.

In addition, Telegram promised to label posts that contain false information and promote those with factual information. The NYT reports will also have its employees monitor the 100 most popular channels in Brazil.

With more than 1.1 million subscribers on the platform, Telegram has become the favourite communication channel of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under investigation for leaking police documents and has been accused of spreading false information in the past.

Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, an opponent of President Bolsonaro, ordered a ban on the app, lasting only two days. But, as Telegram CEO Pavel Durov explains, his company did not take action earlier because they were checking the wrong email inbox and could not see the messages from the Brazilian Supreme Court.