Messaging app Telegram warned Tuesday that "democracy is under attack in Brazil," the latest salvo by tech companies opposed to a bill seeking to stem disinformation online.

"Brazil is about to pass a law that will end free speech," the company said in a message sent to users on Bill 2630, which has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the lower house of Congress.

It claimed the bill "gives the government censorship powers without prior judicial oversight," calling it "one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever considered in Brazil."

Telegram's statement came a week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government accused Google of "deceitful and abusive propaganda" against the bill.

The US tech giant had displayed a prominent message on its Brazilian homepage warning the legislation could "make your internet worse."

Google removed the message the same day the National Consumer Protection Bureau ordered it to also give space to opposing views or face a fine of one million reais ($200,000) an hour.

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