The Bolsonaros are finding alternatives to Telegram

Telegram, the encrypted messaging platform that has grown rapidly in Brazil, is no longer banned. After evading courts for months, the Dubai-based company finally agreed to cooperate with the judiciary’s efforts to curb misinformation. But recent moves by the Supreme Court have kept the sword of Damocles hanging over Telegram, and that more bans could be on the way.

Conscious of this threat, pro-Bolsonaro networks – which have thrived on Telegram – have started to invest in alternative platforms so they can continue communication with their millions of followers. Conservative groups have gravitated towards Parler, Gettr, and Rumble — platforms that, like Telegram up to a week ago, have no legal presence in Brazil.

Parler launched in August 2018 and positioned itself as a “free speech” social network where people could mostly say whatever they want. The platform was banned from Apple and Google’s app stores following the U.S. Capitol Riots of January 2021. The tech giants believed Parler had not sufficiently policed posts that incited violence and criminal acts. But the network was back online within a month and Apple reinstated the app in April 2021.

Gettr was...