Tech
Why Brazil Supreme Court Judge Banned X And What Elon Musk Said
Brazil’s telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was banning access to Elon Musk’s X social network, formerly Twitter, in the country to comply with a judge’s decision following a months-long fight with the billionaire investor.
The move comes after X failed to meet a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to identify a legal representative in Brazil, resulting in the suspension.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court and Elon Musk have been feuding in public for months after X failed to comply with legal orders to ban users suspected of spreading “fake news” and hate messages.
X said Moraes threatened to arrest one of the company’s legal agents in Brazil if they did not comply. Elon Musk’s platform had closed all of its Brazil offices owing to what it called “censorship” by the judge, but its service remained open to users in the country.
When does it take effect?
Moraes ordered that the social media giant be taken down immediately in Brazil. Shutting down the messaging network may take hours or days since Anatel must negotiate with telecommunications operators to remove X traffic.
The Supreme Court judge also froze Musk’s Starlink’s financial assets, issuing an order to restrict the accounts of the satellite internet network, which has rapidly expanded its user base in Brazil.
Moraes’ motivation was to cover overdue fines totalling R$18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) that he had previously imposed on X for defying judicial rulings. In response to a post about Starlink accounts being suspended, Elon Musk referred to Moraes as a “dictator” on X.
How will X be shut down?
Under Brazilian internet legislation, social media platforms must have a representative based in the country. The judge stated that corporations that violate Brazilian law may have their operations temporarily halted. Anatel, the regulator, has begun to alert carriers to guarantee they drop X. Users could still get around the blockage by using VPNs.
To close that loophole, Moraes stated that people or corporations attempting to maintain access to the social network in this manner could face a daily fine of up to R$50,000 ($8,909).
What’s Behind Elon Musk’s Feud with a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice?
What’s Behind Elon Musk’s Feud with a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice?
