In light of recent events, X owner Elon Musk expressed his views on Brazil’s political situation, referring to it as an “oppressive regime.” This statement comes amidst an ongoing public dispute between Musk and a Supreme Court judge that seems to be intensifying.
There’s some juicy news going around about a certain social media giant, X, formerly known as Twitter. It seems that a judge has made a rather interesting decision in Brazil, ordering the platform to be taken down. Quite the scandal, don’t you think?
There’s been quite a buzz surrounding Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes’ recent order. It seems that the site’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, found himself in a bit of a pickle after failing to name a legal representative in Brazil.
The judge and Musk have been engaged in a highly publicised dispute for months, stemming from X’s failure to adhere to legal directives regarding the suspension of specific accounts accused of disseminating false information and promoting hatred.
As part of the ruling, the judge also mandated the payment of fines totalling 18.5 million reais (£2.5 million).
Rumours are swirling that individuals who utilise virtual private networks (VPN) to bypass the block and gain access to X may face hefty fines of up to 50,000 reais per day, which is equivalent to nearly £7,000.
The head of Brazil’s telecom regulator, Anatel, has announced that they have received a court order to suspend X and are currently “proceeding with the compliance.”.
In a series of posts on X, Musk expressed his strong disapproval of Brazil’s decision, accusing the country of suppressing information and having an oppressive regime. He claimed that the government is so fearful of the truth being revealed that they are willing to financially ruin anyone who attempts to do so.
X has been facing challenges due to a decline in advertising revenue ever since Musk acquired the company in 2022. Additionally, Brazil holds great importance as a market for the company.
According to market research firm Emarketer, a significant number of Brazilians, around twenty percent of the population, use the platform on a monthly basis.
Due to its refusal to follow what it believed to be illegal orders to silence its political rivals, X claimed that it anticipated the judge would order its closure. X made a prediction about this.
“During our court defence, Judge de Moraes allegedly made threats of imprisonment towards our Brazilian legal representative,” the company stated in their statement.
“It seems that our concerns about his questionable behaviour were either brushed aside or completely disregarded.”
“It seems that some of Judge de Moraes’s colleagues on the Supreme Court may be hesitant or find it challenging to confront him.”
Some politicians associated with the right-wing party of former President Jair Bolsonaro have had their accounts taken down from the site in the past due to administrative orders from Brazil.
Throughout various instances, Musk has confidently declared himself a staunch advocate for free speech, arguing that the actions of the court system amount to censorship.
As per Brazilian law, foreign corporations must have representation in the country to stay informed about any legal cases they may be involved in. Based on this law, the court made a ruling.
His supporters contend that the actions taken against X were appropriate, had the support of the majority of the court’s entire bench, and served to protect democracy.