Justice Alexandre de Mores directed internet service providers and app stores to block access to X within five-days, saying, that the platform wil remain inaccessible until it complies with his directive. He also imposed daily fines of 50,000 reais ($8,900) on individuals using VPNs to circumvent the block.
What led to X’s suspension in Brazil?
- Alexandre de Moraes ordered the “immediate and complete suspension” of the social media platform until it complies with all court orders and pays the outstanding fines.
- Justice Moraes had ordered that X accounts accused of spreading disinformation—many of which belong to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro—must be blocked while they are under investigation.
Justice de Moraes had previously warned Musk that X could be banned if the company did not comply with the directive to appoint a local representative.
- The social media platform was operating without a local representative since early August.
- In response to the Supreme Court’s orders, Global Governance Affairs tweeted on X that Alexandre de Moraes threatened their legal representative in Brazil with arrest if the company did not comply with his censorship directives. They claimed this threat was made in a secret order, which they have shared to expose his actions.
- Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court froze the local bank accounts of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company. The dispute over X has since brought the platform to the brink of being shut down in one of its key markets, ultimately resulting in its suspension on Friday.
- X’s global government affairs page stated on the same day, that it anticipated Justice Moraes would order a ban, pointing to its non-compliance with a legal directive that it argued would censor the judge’s political opponents.
- De Moraes also criticised Musk for showing a lack of respect for Brazilian sovereignty and the judiciary, accusing him of acting as if he is above the country’s laws.
- In response, Musk’s platform had shut down all its offices in Brazil, citing “censorship” by the judge. Despite these closures, the platform’s services remain accessible to users in the country.
Musk’s feud with justice de Moraes
Justice de Moraes and Elon Musk have been publicly feuding for months after X failed to comply with court orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading “fake news” and hate speech.
X claimed that Moraes threatened to arrest one of its legal representatives in Brazil if the company did not comply. Meanwhile, Musk has used X to voice his strong opinions against Justice de Moraes, labelling him “an outright criminal of the worst kind, masquerading as a judge.”
The dispute began in April when the judge ordered the suspension of dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.
“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” Musk fired back with a scathing remark.