Brazilian telecommunications regulators have started to block X following the Supreme Court’s ruling to suspend the social media platform for missing the deadline for designating a local attorney.
The “immediate, complete and total suspension of X’s operations” throughout the nation was mandated by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday. This will continue “until all court orders… are complied with, fines are duly paid, and a new legal representative for the company is appointed.”
Local news source UOL said that three of the nation’s major telecom providers announced they will start limiting access at midnight (03:00 GMT on Saturday).
Over misinformation and free expression, the judge and billionaire investor Elon Musk have been embroiled in a months-long fight.
The main point of contention in the argument made by de Moraes is that Musk declined to take down the accounts earlier this year that disseminated hate speech, fake news, and attacks on the rule of law.
Musk replied to the decision, which he perceived as censorship, by shutting down the company’s Brazilian operations while making sure the platform remained accessible there.
By preventing voters from accessing true and correct information, the court referred to Musk as a “outlaw” in his Friday ruling, stating that he planned to “allow the massive spread of disinformation, hate speech, and attacks on the democratic rule of law, violating the electorate’s right to free choice”.
Now, 40 million Brazilians who use the site will not be able to access it and, if found using an encrypted connection, might be fined up to 50,000 reais ($9,000) everyday.
Musk replied angrily to the court’s ruling. He referred to de Moraes as “an evil dictator” on Friday for closing down the “#1 source of truth in Brazil.”
At a time when Musk has struggled to generate revenue for the platform through advertising, X may lose one of its biggest and most sought-after markets as a result of the judge’s order.
Even though X was still available in Brazil late on Friday, some Brazilians reported on other social media platforms that X was already being restricted.
Left-wing The 2022 presidential candidate, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, defended the court’s decision to suspend X.
“Having a lot of money does not give you the right to disregard Brazilian laws,” Lula stated on Friday in a radio interview.
Elon Musk is not a global citizen; he is an American citizen. He is not allowed to offend the Supreme Court, the Senate, presidents, or congressmen. Who believes that he is? He continued.
Conservative backers of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who claim Lula’s administration has suppressed them, have praised Musk.
