Telegram has been banned in Brazil over disinformation issues

The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered Anatel to suspend Telegram within 24 hours. The New York Times reported that Justice de Moraes cited the failure of the messaging app to respond to previous orders to freeze accounts for his decision.

Telegram has become the platform of choice for supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil after social networks started implementing stricter measures against fake news. Moraes has ordered internet providers and phone carriers to block access to Telegram in the country ahead of the presidential election in October.

The Supreme Court justice ordered the removal of the messaging service from the app stores. If the companies don't comply within five days, they will be fined $20,000 per day. People caught using a virtual private network or other means to access Telegram will face a $20,000 fine.

During an event, Bolsonaro called the decisioninadmissible. The Minister of Justice and Public Security, appointed by Bolsonaro, criticized the Moraes ruling and said it harms millions of Brazilians.

Telegram is asking for a delay on the ban to get a chance to fix the situation, according to Telegram Chief Executive Pavel Durov. He said that they could have done a better job. Moraes could give Telegram a chance. The ban will be in place until the service complies with previous orders and pays a series of fines.