25 July 2020

Court orders Facebook and Twitter to shut down accounts supporting Brazilian president amid ‘fake news’ probe

Facebook and Twitter have suspended high profile supporters of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro following an order from the country’s Supreme Court.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled 16 Twitter accounts and 12 Facebook pages should be shut down amid claims of false information.

The investigation, known as the ‘fake news’ investigation in Brazil,  is determining whether threats against the Supreme Court and misinformation are being funded illicitly. 

Among accounts to be suspended are those of former congressman and president of the conservative PTB party Roberto Jefferson, activist Sara Giromini and business people Luciano Hang, Edgar Corona and Oscar Fakhoury.

Moraes said his ruling is stopping accounts from ‘being used as a means of committing possible criminal conduct’.

Facebook said in a statement that it ‘respects the judiciary and complies with valid legal orders’ and Twitter added they ‘acted strictly to comply with a legal order related to a Supreme Court investigation’.

Bolsonaro is yet to comment on the ruling but has said the investigation is a ‘grave threat’ to free speech.

While Ms Giromini said of her blocking: “[I will complain to] international human rights organisations about the serious offence against free speech.”

And the PTB party said it is ‘yet another arbitrary measure’ which 'impedes the exercise (of Jefferson's) right to liberty of expression and opinion on social media’.

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