Oops: Telegram is blocked in Brazil because it didn't check its emails

Have you ever missed an important email? We have all been there.

Telegram knows how bad that feels. It has been banned in Brazil, and missed emails are to blame.

The Supreme Court Justice of Brazil ordered Telegram to be blocked in the country. Much like in the U.S., the messaging platform has become a hub for conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding Brazil's elections as the far right supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro have flocked there.

Telegram complied with some requests, such as when it banned channels belonging to a pro-Bolsonaro blogger based in the U.S. earlier this year.

Telegram has a simple explanation as to why it hasn't worked with Brazil to avoid the suspension: The company missed Brazil's emails. Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said that the company had an issue with emails going between their corporate addresses and the Brazilian Supreme Court.

The Brazilian Supreme Court banned Telegram because of the miscommunication. We definitely could have done better.

Durov explained that Telegram had a dedicated email address for taking down requests. Durov says the team missed these emails and are now working to comply with the court's requests.

As a result of Moraes's ruling, Anatel has been ordered to suspend the platform until Telegram complies with Brazilian law and pays the fines. The court wants Apple and Google to block access to Telegram in Brazil.

The Supreme Court order was confirmed by a person at the company.

As Durov points out, Telegram has been flooded with official takedown requests over the past few weeks as a result of world events. Telegram's suspension in Brazil provides a valuable lesson: Always check your email.