The implementation of the court decision in Brazil to suspend the X platform (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, for legal violations began this morning.
Access to X after the STF order is no longer possible for some users who see a message asking them to update their browser when entering the portal, but are unable to log in. According to local media, the X outage has started at some Internet service providers and is expected to be fully implemented during the day.
“Freedom of expression is the basis of democracy and in Brazil an unelected pseudo-judge is destroying it for political reasons“, Musk highlighted.
It is the latest episode in a standoff between Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice and head of Brazil’s anti-disinformation campaign, and the American billionaire, and comes just over a month before municipal elections that are expected to tip the balance of power. the president’s leftist camp Luis Lula da Silva Sr.and the right, which adopted Elon Musk’s objections.
Judge Moraes had given a 24-hour deadline on Wednesday night on the platform to appoint a legal representative in the country, threatening to block it. X has 22 million users in Brazil, according to specialized website DataReportal.
After the rejection of the ultimatum of the social network, the judge ordered the “immediate, complete and total suspension of the operation of ‘X Brasil Internet LTDA’” and ordered the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to take “all necessary measures” to come into effect within 24 hours. Shortly after, Anatel stated that it was “implementing” this decision.
The judge also required tech giants Google and Amazon, as well as internet service providers, to “submit technological barriers capable of preventing the use of X;».
Don’t threaten me fines of 50 thousand reais (about 8 thousand euros) per day people who would resort to “technological tricks” to get around the blockade, such as the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).
With this, the social network Bluesky registered an “influx” of new users in Brazil.
Judge Moraes denounced X’s “attempt” to circumvent “the legal order and the judiciary in Brazil, in order to establish a state of total impunity and ‘anarchy’ on Brazilian social networks, especially during the 2024 municipal elections”.
X’s suspension shall remain in effect until the platform complies, pays the fines imposed on it and appoints a legal representative.
The judge also recently blocked Starlink accountssatellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk, to recover the amount of unpaid fines from X.
The billionaire businessman stepped up his verbal attacks on Judge Moraes this week, calling him a “dictator” and accusing him of stifling freedom of expression.
Lula Intervention
“Who does he think he is?” President Lula responded yesterday, referring to Elon Musk. “Every citizen, from any part of the world, who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Constitution and Brazilian laws,” he said.
On August 17, Elon Musk announced that he would close X’s offices in Brazil, but that the service would continue to be available to users, citing Moraes’ decisions.
The judge launched an investigation into Musk last April, accusing him of reactivated user accounts blocked by Brazilian court orders. Platform X admitted that users were able to bypass the bans.
For Bolsonaro
The judge ordered the closure of the accounts of influential people belonging to ultraconservative movements, claiming that they were selling false information.
And this especially after attempts by supporters of former far-right president Jaich Bolsonaro (2019-2022) to discredit the electronic voting system in the elections won by Lula in 2022.
Elon Musk is also under investigation in Brazil by so-called “digital militias” that allegedly used public money to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro.
Source: AMPE-AFP