Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court issued an order banning the use of the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, within the nation. The reason for this decision is that Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, disregarded a court order to close accounts that were purportedly spreading misinformation and designate a legal representative in Brazil.
According to The New York Times, the judge mandated that tech gigantic companies like Apple and Google as well as telecom providers take down the X application from their stores in five days. Brazilian Internet service providers were ordered by a court to block access to the social network, and they were given 24 hours to comply. Additionally, Sracekh’s subsidiary Starlink’s bank accounts were frozen in an effort to put pressure on Musk.
According to the BBC, the ruling is a part of an ongoing controversy that started following the results of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, when attempts to disseminate content that the country claimed was false were exposed. A previous order to block numerous accounts suspected of spreading misinformation on the social network came from Judge Moraes. This order was then defied by Company X, which shut down its Brazilian office and vowed to not submit to “censorship.”
Elon Musk reacted sharply to the latest court decision, calling the judge a “tyrant and dictator” and threatening to restore all suspended accounts. He also stated that “freedom of speech is the basis of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”
The daily fine for breaking the ban will be approximately $8,900. This includes using a VPN to access X.
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