Influencers who have seen their social networks suspended by the Minister of the Federal Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes for having broadcast speeches deemed undemocratic have taken refuge in Rumble, an eponymous video platform “immune to the culture of cancellation”. In this network, they maintain the production of content, triggered in the messaging applications, and intensify the dialogue with the supporters.

The profiles, for the most part, are of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro – such as journalists Paulo Figueiredo and Rodrigo Constantino, blogger Allan dos Santos, a fugitive from Brazilian justice, and podcaster Bruno Aiub, known as Monark. The company’s Q3 2022 report says 71 million people globally access the site – 57 million in the US and Canada

Rumble was already mentioned in a Supreme Court ruling on Jan. 11 that called for Monark’s account to be blocked — an order that was disobeyed by the platform. The podcaster was part of the network’s first expansion initiative in Brazil, when the company in March last year signed an exclusive contract with him and left-wing influencer Reginaldo Ferreira da Silva, known as Ferréz, to post videos on the site.

Monark is one of the most active in the network, where he criticizes justice and complains of “censorship”. He often says that Brazil is under “dictatorship”. “China is more democratic than Brazil. There, at least, a guy does not decide everything”, he declared during the live of the 23rd, in reference to Moraes.

During the January 8 acts, Monark claimed to have “sympathy” for the radicals. “This state of ours is a nefarious and authoritarian dictatorship.” Hours later, he condemned the actions, but that didn’t stop his accounts from being suspended. The report was sent to Monark, but received no response.

On the 6th, Allan dos Santos released an episode of his Guerra da Informação podcast which did not include him, but two other presenters. One of them says it is only a “matter of time” for a social upheaval in Brazil. “It won’t take long for all of us to see the results of all this pressure on the Brazilian people, on society and also, surprisingly, on the military,” the announcer said.

The same content is also on Spotify, the world’s largest music and podcasting platform. The company did not respond to the report.

Divergence

For experts, the absence of stricter restrictions on the platform attracts influencers. “The big platforms started taking uncomfortable steps; the little ones don’t respect it,” said InternetLab executive director Francisco Brito Cruz. “If Rumble receives an order from a Brazilian court and doesn’t comply with it, it’s not a question of wanting it or not. He can’t do that. You can discuss, question the decision, but you can’t break it.

In the opinion of lawyer André Marsiglia, Moraes’ suspensions may constitute “prior censorship”. “I understand that suspending a profile is prior censorship because it prevents a person from speaking out in the future. There is no future offense, an offense that did not happen,” did he declare.

Cruz advocated taking preventative measures to avoid episodes like the 8 attack. Telegram and Rumble did not respond. The Supreme Court declined to comment. Allan dos Santos, Constantino and Figueiredo have not been located.

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