Telegram is a popular instant messaging platform that competes with other apps like Signal and Meta-owned WhatsApp. The platform also offers end-to-end encrypted chats and has a policy of not interfering with what its users share on the platform. Due to this policy, Telegram has faced multiple issues with different governments and it has also reportedly caused the app to be banned in Brazil once again.
Why Brazil has banned Telegram once again
According to a report by 9to5Mac, a Brazilian court has recently banned Telegram in the country. The court took this decision after the messaging company denied requests to reveal the personal data of users who had been sharing extremist hate messages. An investigation conducted on a teenager who was responsible for a mass shooting at a school in Brazil concluded that the teen was part of hate speech groups on Telegram. This is the reason for the court to request the data from Telegram.
Not Telegram’s first rodeo
Previously, Brazil imposed a ban on Telegram in 2022. A local court suspended the company for less than 48 hours. The court alleged that Telegram didn’t comply with local authorities in preventing the sharing of fake news and dangerous content. After nearly 48 hours, the messaging service was reinstated as the company decided to cooperate with Brazilian regulators.
How is this ban different from the previous one
As per the report, this time situation is different for the messaging app. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has shared a statement on his channel. Durov noted that the data requested by the Brazilian court is “technologically impossible” to obtain.

He also mentioned that Telegram has already exited some countries like — China, Iran, and Russia (where the app was created) due to local laws and the app may end up leaving Brazil for similar reasons. Durov added that leaving a market is “preferable to the betrayal of our users and the beliefs we were founded on.”
How users have been affected
The report mentions that users are currently using VPN or proxy servers to open Telegram as the Brazilian court has ordered the country’s internet service providers to block access to the app. The court has also asked both Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective app stores. The report mentions that despite the ban, Telegram is still available on the country’s App Store and Google Play.
The company will be appealing the Brazilian court’s decision. This means that the app will remain unavailable in the country until the ruling is overruled. A few weeks ago, the Brazilian government also warned Elon Musk-owned Twitter. Brazil asked the microblogging site to moderate and delete content related to violent attacks in schools.