BRASILIA (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) deleted the accounts of several high-profile supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following a Supreme Court order, a move that underscores the complicated territory that social media titans are navigating in some of the world’s largest jurisdictions.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures before a ceremony to lower the national flag at night, amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, 24 of July 2020. REUTERS / Adriano Machado
Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the removal of 16 Twitter accounts and 12 Facebook accounts on Friday, a decision linked to an ongoing investigation into the alleged spread of disinformation by right-wing Bolsonaro supporters.
Among the purposes of the “fake news” investigation, as it is known in Brazil, is to discover whether misinformation and threats against Supreme Court officials are being illicitly funded.
Among the owners of the suspended accounts are Roberto Jefferson, a former congressman and president of the conservative PTB party, as well as businessmen Luciano Hang, Edgar Corona and Oscar Fakhoury, and activist Sara Giromini, widely known as Sarah Winter.
Moraes had ordered the blocking of the accounts in a separate ruling in May, although the accounts were not removed at the time.
Friday’s order, Moraes said, was intended to prevent the 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.” Twitter in a statement said: “Twitter acted strictly to comply with a legal order related to an investigation by the Supreme Court.”
The blocked Twitter accounts themselves, on the pages where their accounts would be, said on Friday night that they were suspended “in response to a legal order.”
The reaction among conservatives in Brazil was swift.
The PTB party said in a statement it was surprised by “another arbitrary measure” ordered by Moraes, which “prevents the exercise (of Jefferson’s right) to freedom of expression and opinion on social media.”
The activist Winter said she would complain to “international human rights organizations about the serious crime against freedom of expression.”
Although Bolsonaro did not immediately address the removal of the accounts, he previously spoke out against the investigation, calling it a serious threat to freedom of expression.
Reports by Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu; Written by Gram Slattery; Editing by Leslie Adler
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