Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the country's internet service providers to block social media platform x. x-blocked.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:The New York Times;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>The New York Times reports that the order stems from owner Elon Musk's refusal to appoint a legal representative for his case and comply with Moraes' order to close the x accounts that he considered detrimental to the democratic process. The order has been x.pdf” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:published online;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>published online by Brazilian news site Power 360.
The courts have given telecoms companies and tech giants a deadline to remove the x from their app stores and platforms. Apple and Google have five days to remove the social media app from their app stores. Brazil's telecommunications agency Anatel has x-antigo-twitter” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:confirmed it has received the order;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>Confirmed that you have received the orderand the country's ISPs have only 24 hours to comply with the order.
Judge Moraes' order not only blocks the country's access to x, but also criminalizes the use of the app through a virtual private network (VPN). Anyone accessing x with a VPN could face a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian reals (about $8,900).
Judge Moraes also froze the Brazilian bank accounts of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service provider on Thursday to further pressure Musk to comply with the court order. SpaceX, like x, is a private company majority-owned by Musk, and x has $3 million in unpaid fines related to its case in the country. The day before, Judge Moraes threatened to ban x’s platform entirely across Brazil if the social media company did not appoint a legal representative in the country. The deadline passed without any change in the court docket, so the judge made good on his promise.
Starlink expressed its disapproval of the order and vowed to fight the ruling. It even threatened to offer its services for free to customers to subvert the judge's order.
The legal battle between Judge Moraes and Musk has been going on for months. The Supreme Court judge is also Brazil's electoral authority and has been monitoring and ordering candidates to refrain from spreading false information over the internet and social media.
Brazil’s 2022 presidential election between infamous incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was rife with attempts to subvert voter information. Authorities appointed Moraes as the country’s elections chief, giving him the power to order the removal of content he believed violated previous court orders. Judge Moraes issued similar orders removing content from the messaging app Telegram for failing to freeze election-infringing accounts.
Musk called Moraes' orders to remove or freeze similar disinformation accounts from x “censorship orders.” Earlier this month, Musk expressed his continued refusal to comply with the court order by closing x's Brazilian office to “protect the safety of our staff.” x.com/GlobalAffairs/status/1829296715989414281″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:x’s Global Governments Affairs team;cpos:7;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>x Global Government Affairs Team He also promised to publish all of Judge Moraes’ “illegal demands and all related court records.”
