Elon Musk ignored instructions
Judge orders X to be blocked in Brazil
31.08.2024, 00:27
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The dispute between Elon Musk and the Brazilian judiciary is escalating. Because the X owner refuses to close channels with conspiracy theories, the Supreme Court orders the blocking of the platform. The tech billionaire complains and suspects censorship.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the immediate blocking of the short message service X. A deadline set by the court had previously expired by which billionaire Elon Musk’s Twitter successor platform was to appoint a legal representative in Brazil. The ruling was made by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, with whom Musk is publicly at loggerheads.
Moraes had ordered X to block the accounts of certain users who were spreading lies and misleading information. Many of the affected users are supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, some of whom do not recognize his defeat in the 2022 elections. Musk refused to block the accounts and spoke of censorship. “Alexandre de Moraes is an evil dictator disguised as a judge,” he wrote on X. Musk sees himself as a defender of free speech.
High penalties for circumventing the ban
Moraes has now ordered that the platform remain blocked until the company complies with all court orders. In addition to appointing a legal representative, this also includes paying a fine of the equivalent of almost three million euros (18.5 million reals) that X was given for ignoring court orders. The Brazilian telecommunications authority was instructed by Moraes to block X immediately and to confirm the execution of the order to the court within 24 hours. The head of the authority confirmed to Reuters that he had received the order. It will now be implemented.
With its 215 million inhabitants, Brazil is a huge market for X. The EU has almost 450 million inhabitants. The judge’s latest decision also means that private individuals and companies in Brazil face penalties. Anyone who tries to circumvent the ban using technical means such as VPN connections can expect a fine of 50,000 reals (about 8,000 euros) per day. On Thursday, Brazilian judges had already blocked bank accounts belonging to the satellite operator Starlink, as the company, like X, belongs to the Tesla boss’s corporate empire. This was intended to put pressure on Musk to pay the fines.