Facebook, Twitter remove accounts of Bolsonaro supporters following court order
Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) took down the accounts of several high-profile supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following a Supreme Court order, a move that underlines the tricky territory the social media titans are navigating in some of the world’s largest jurisdictions.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the removal of 16 Twitter accounts and 12 Facebook accounts on Friday, a decision tied to an ongoing probe into the alleged dissemination of disinformation by supporters of the right-wing Bolsonaro, Reuters reported.
Among the purposes of the “fake news” investigation, as it is known in Brazil, is to discover if misinformation and threats against Supreme Court officials are being funded illicitly.
Among the owners of the suspended accounts is 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 accounts blocked in a separate ruling in May, though the accounts were not removed at the time.
Friday’s order, Moraes said, was meant to stop the accounts from “being used as a means of committing possible criminal conduct.”