Happy Monday! This week, Brazil’s electoral authorities are set on banning Telegram in the country, but that’s easier said than done. Bolsonaro signs off on the budget, but civil servant tensions remain. São Paulo’s homeless population spiked during the pandemic.
Banning Telegram won’t be easy
Brazil’s electoral authorities believe Dubai-based messaging app Telegram is one of the greatest threats to the country’s upcoming elections. After WhatsApp began imposing restrictions on bulk messaging, Telegram became the go-to app for spreading political content — especially among the far-right.
- The company’s refusal to cooperate with efforts to curb misinformation has led to calls for it to be banned in Brazil, a possibility watchdogs have been discussing out in the open.
State of Play. The Superior Electoral Court has tried to make contact with Telegram for months — the court’s head, Supreme Court Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, even wrote a letter requesting a meeting with CEO Pavel Durov in December. But the company has not replied.
- As a matter of fact, defying authorities is ingrained in Telegram’s DNA. The app was created as a way to allow communications to flow “beyond the reach of governments.”
- And while it has been a safe haven for dissidents...