- Contentious Situation with Musk: Judge Directs Prohibition in Brazil
A Brazilian judge, Alex de Moraes from the Supreme Court, has ordered the closure of Elon Musk's social media platform X after numerous disagreements. Following this order, de Moraes instructed the National Telecommunications Agency to enforce it within 24 hours. His accusation against X, the alleged Twitter successor service, is that it hasn't taken sufficient measures against hate speech and fake news.
Meanwhile, Musk argued for free speech rights and labeled de Moraes as an "authoritarian figure". The conflict intensified when de Moraes requested X to block the accounts of right-wing activists propagating conspiracy theories and disinformation. Musk deemed this request as unlawful, and X refused compliance. Moreover, Musk also declined to pay the levied fine.
Shutdown after missed deadline
In mid-August, Musk shut down the Brazil office due to concerns over potential arrest of the official representative. De Moraes then threatened to close X if it didn't appoint a legal representative within 24 hours shortly afterwards. However, Musk let this deadline expire.
In response, Musk fueled resentment against de Moraes on X, where he has 196 million followers. Some of his actions included posting an alleged artificial intelligence-generated picture that depicted a person resembling the judge behind bars and warning de Moraes, "Take my words to heart".
Musk is currently the world's wealthiest person, attributed majorly to his Tesla shares. As of Bloomberg's latest estimate, his wealth stands at $239 billion.
No penalty for users with VPNs
Centrally, on Friday, de Moraes initially imposed a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (approximately $8,000) against users who circumvented the block through technical means such as VPN services. However, de Moraes retracted this fine following backlash. VPN tunnels enable users to appear as though they're in another country, making them a common method for avoiding online restrictions.
The initial instruction to Google and Apple to remove the X app from their respective download stores within five days and block its usage was also rescinded. De Moraes explained that this was done to avoid causing inconvenience to other corporations.
Musk defends freedom of speech
As a prominent advocate for free speech, Musk, with leanings towards American conservatism, and a loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump, consistently asserts this stance. Musk criticizes de Moraes for suppressing free speech, by writing on X, "De Moraes is a masked authoritarian". Under Musk's guidance, X has also complied with Indian government demands to block certain accounts and content.
X has been utilized in Brazil to stir up anti-democratic activities. Digital militias associated with ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who represents the right, spread disinformation and hate speech on social media.
Accounts asked to be blocked by de Moraes from X challenged Bolsonaro's poll defeat and sympathized with his supporters, who rioted at the parliament building and the Supreme Court.
Foreign revenue becomes crucial for X.
Since advertising revenue in the primary market, the USA, decreases for X due to its transformation under Musk, international markets like Brazil, with an extensive population of over 200 million individuals, has become increasingly vital for X's finances. As reported, X has around 20 million users in the South American nation.
The European Court of Justice may express concern over Musk's actions, given its commitment to upholding free speech while also regulating harmful content. De Moraes could potentially seek international support from The Court of Justice, as X'sreach extends beyond Brazil.
Alternatively, The Court of Justice might issue a statement condemning interference in the digital sphere and advocating for respect of national judicial decisions, such as de Moraes' order against X.
