August 31st 2024.
The ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has reached a new level this weekend, as Brazil has taken the drastic step of blocking Musk's social media platform, X. This move comes after X failed to comply with a court order to name a legal representative in Brazil, leading to the suspension of the platform. This decision by Brazil's telecommunications regulator, Anatel, has caused X to become largely inaccessible to users both on the web and through its mobile app.
The conflict between Musk and de Moraes has been brewing for months, with the two at odds over issues of free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation. In an effort to block X, de Moraes had given Musk a deadline to name a representative in Brazil, but the company missed this deadline, prompting the suspension. This action has been seen as a direct challenge to Brazil's sovereignty, as de Moraes wrote in his decision that Musk has shown a "total disrespect" for the country's laws.
In response to this suspension, X's CEO Linda Yaccarino expressed disappointment and sadness, stating that it was a "sad day" for X users in Brazil and around the world. She also criticized Brazil for failing to uphold its constitution, which pledges to forbid censorship. X had previously posted on its official Global Government Affairs page that it expected to be shut down by de Moraes, as the platform refused to comply with what they deemed to be "illegal orders" to censor political opponents.
The conflict between X and de Moraes has centered around the platform's reluctance to comply with orders to block certain users. X has previously shut down accounts of lawmakers and activists at the request of the Brazilian government, leading to accusations of censorship. However, in his decision, de Moraes cited Musk's own statements as evidence that X has been encouraging extremism, hate speech, and anti-democratic discourse, and attempting to evade jurisdictional control.
This clash of ideals has also led to further investigations into Musk by de Moraes for the dissemination of fake news and alleged obstruction. Musk, who has declared himself a "free speech absolutist," has consistently argued that de Moraes' actions amount to censorship and has frequently insulted the justice on his platform. This has also been echoed by Brazil's political right, who believe de Moraes to be a dictator and tyrant.
Overall, this move by Brazil to block X has caused widespread concern and disappointment, with many seeing it as a violation of free speech and an attack on the platform's ability to operate. It remains to be seen how this conflict will be resolved, but for now, X and Musk's relationship with Brazil remains strained.
Over the weekend, Brazil made a bold move by blocking Elon Musk's social media platform X, rendering it almost completely inaccessible. This action was taken after the company refused to comply with a judge's order, causing tension to escalate in the ongoing feud between Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over issues such as free speech, misinformation, and far-right accounts.
In order to block X, Brazil's telecommunications regulator, Anatel, instructed internet service providers to suspend users' access to the platform. As of Saturday midnight, major operators had already started taking action. This came after de Moraes warned Musk on Wednesday night that X could face a block if it failed to appoint a legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours. The company had lost its previous representative earlier this month.
In his decision on Friday, de Moraes expressed his disapproval of Musk's lack of respect for Brazil's sovereignty and its judiciary system. He stated that the platform would remain suspended until it complied with his orders and also imposed a daily fine for those who use VPNs to access X.
However, de Moraes later altered his initial decision to give internet service providers a 5-day deadline to block X and also instructed app stores to remove virtual private networks. This move was met with criticism as Brazil is one of the biggest markets for X, with an estimated 40 million users accessing the platform at least once a month.
X's CEO Linda Yaccarino expressed her disappointment in the situation, stating that it was a sad day for X users, especially those in Brazil. She also accused the country of failing to uphold its constitutional promise of rejecting censorship. In a statement, X also claimed that de Moraes had threatened their Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment and frozen her bank accounts after she resigned.
The feud between X and de Moraes has been ongoing due to the platform's reluctance to comply with orders to block certain users. These include lawmakers from former President Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing party and activists accused of undermining Brazilian democracy. X has also claimed to have suspended or blocked 226 users since 2019.
De Moraes' decision on Friday cited Musk's statements as evidence that X's actions were aimed at encouraging extremism, hate speech, and anti-democratic discourse. In April, de Moraes included Musk as a target in an investigation into the dissemination of fake news and also opened a separate investigation for alleged obstruction.
Musk, who has declared himself a "free speech absolutist," has repeatedly accused de Moraes of censorship and has even insulted him on X, referring to him as a dictator and tyrant. This argument has been supported by Brazil's political right.
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