Brazil’s top court is expected to block access to X in the country of more than 200 million people as a prominent judge takes on the site’s owner, Elon Musk.
Musk has been involved in a months-long dispute with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over X’s moderation policies. Earlier this year, Moraes opened an investigation against X after Musk rejected a court order to block accounts that supported right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro and were allegedly spreading fake news and hate speech.
Internet companies must have a legal representative in Brazil who can act as an intermediary between the government and the corporation. X currently does not have one, because the site closed its offices In Brazil earlier this year, Moraes threatened X’s legal representative with arrest as part of the investigation. The Supreme Court’s deadline for X to appoint a new representative expired on Thursday evening.
“Soon, we expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes to order the closure of X in Brazil, simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents,” X Global Affairs tells us. He stated in a publication Thursday night. “These enemies include a duly elected senator and a 16-year-old girl, among others.”
Musk cited that post and alleged that Moraes He is “an evil dictator disguised as a judge.”
In his statement, X called the court’s decisions a violation of Brazil’s own laws, claiming they are “illegal” and saying he would publish all related court documents.
Moraes’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Friday morning, X appeared to still be available in Brazil, with users posting from Healthyor Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Still, things seem to be changing. Moraes this week froze bank accounts belonging to Starlink, the satellite internet company that Musk partly owns. Starlink Statement In a statement posted on X, it said the company has a quarter of a million customers in Brazil and that the action was a “baseless” attempt to hold Starlink responsible for fines imposed on X for failing to provide documents. The company said it would seek a legal solution.
For a nation as large as Brazil to block X would be a significant development regardless of the circumstances, but it’s worth noting that it comes amid a global effort to rein in the big platforms and their billionaire owners.
This week, Telegram’s billionaire CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France and charged with “complicity” in a series of serious crimes that occurred on the app, which has earned a reputation for being mildly moderate over the years. The arrest sent shockwaves through the global tech industry, with Musk’s comment“dangerous times”.