Brazil reverses its Telegram ban after just two days

A judge on Brazil’s Supreme Court has reversed a ban on Telegram, two days after blocking the messaging app for ignoring orders. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said the company missed the court’s emails.

“We complied with an earlier court decision in late February and responded with a suggestion to send future takedown requests to a dedicated email address,” Durov wrote on Telegram on Friday. “Unfortunately, our response must have been lost, because the Court used the old general-purpose email address in further attempts to reach us. As a result, we missed its decision in early March that contained a follow-up takedown request. Luckily, we have now found and processed it, delivering another report to the Court today.”

Durov added that Telegram will appoint a representative in Brazil and set up a framework so it can address requests more promptly. According to The New York Times, Telegram complied with the court’s demands by taking down classified information posted on President Jair Bolsonaro’s channel and deleting the accounts of a Bolsonaro supporter who was allegedly spreading misinformation. The court then reversed the ban.

Telegram reacted so swiftly that the ban (which was imposed by a judge who is running multiple investigations into Bolsonaro and his allies for spreading misinformation) was never actually in effect. The court order gave Apple, Google, ISPs and phone providers five days to block the app.

Durov and his team made some other changes to the app in Brazil in the hope of avoiding another ban. Officials are said to be concerned about misinformation in the lead up to the general election in October. As such, Telegram will start promoting verified information and labeling posts containing falsehoods.

It will also monitor the 100 most popular channels in the country. Telegram says those account for 95 percent of views of public posts. The company has typically taken a hands-off approach to content moderation. The far-right Bolsonaro has used it as a means of communication with his 1.2 million followers after the likes of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube took a firmer stance against misinformation.

Brazil has become a key market for Telegram. According to data from Sensor Tower, Brazilians have installed Telegram more than 84 million times. Between January 1st and March 17th (the day before the court issued the ban), Brazilian iOS and Android users downloaded the app an estimated 4.9 million times.

Amazon’s one-day sale offers up to $400 off Samsung foldables

Although the launch of Samsung’s S22 lineup is still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Korean smartphone maker still has a number of unique and powerful handsets available to buy. That includes foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and mid-range devices like the Galaxy S21 FE, all of which happen to be discounted as part of a one-day Amazon sale. Our pick of the bunch is the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which has fallen to $850 and represents a 15 percent savings on its usual price. It’s also the second best price we’ve seen. 

Buy Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 at Amazon – $850Amazon’s one-day Galaxy smartphone sale

The Z Flip 3 is, in our mind, the best Samsung foldable yet. It scored an 82 in our review, which was helped by its improved durability (with better scratch and water resistance), its main 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rates and Flex Mode, which quickly splits apps like YouTube in half to separate content and controls. When closed, the 1.9-inch external screen will display small snippets of information like the weather and calendar reminders but also provide easy access to features like Samsung Pay.

If you’ve had your eye on Samsung’s other foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, then Amazon has you covered there, too. For today only, the 2-in-1 handset is $1,400, which is $400 (or 22 percent) off its normal price. The Z Fold 3 improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, including better durability and displays that are 29 percent brighter while consuming less energy. It also includes the S Pen, letting you scribble down notes while on the go.

Buy Samsung Galaxy ZFold 3 at Amazon – $1,400

Rounding out the sale is the Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition), which at $525 has fallen to a new all-time low at the retailer. The Galaxy S21 FE is essentially last year’s flagship without the frills, with the same 5-nanometer processors, 120Hz refresh rate in a slightly bigger display and a familiar triple camera system. It actually has a larger battery and comes with Android 12. With it now on sale for 25 percent less than its normal retail price, it might be easier to ignore those minor drawbacks and bag yourself Samsung’s affordable no-nonsense handset.