Judicial officials in Brazil solidify prohibition of X
In a turn of events at the Brazilian Supreme Court, a panel has endorsed the blocking of American billionaire Elon Musk's platform X. The unanimous decision by the judges, as announced on their website, upholds the ban issued by Judge Alexandre de Moraes last week. The panel also upheld a daily fine of approximately 8,000 Euros for individuals and companies using VPNs to access X.
Musk and his supporters have faced a setback with this decision, aiming to paint de Moraes as a biased judge who suppresses political speech.
Comprising five of the eleven plenary justices, including de Moraes himself, the panel declared X's blockage due to the company's failure to appoint a local legal representative, as per the law. The platform will remain banned until it adheres to the orders and settles the accumulated fines, estimated to be over 2.7 million Euros as of last week.
Controversy over X-user fines
One judge expressed today his opposition to the daily fee unless users can prove they employed X for criminal activities. Legal experts have also raised concerns about the rationale for the decision and its implementation, leading to speculation about its validity. This criticism extends to the Brazilian Bar Association, seeking a Supreme Court review of the order.
Hours before the vote on de Moraes, Musk accused him of repeatedly violating the Brazilian Constitution, despite swearing to uphold it. Musk also announced the creation of an X account to share the judge's rulings and document his actions against de Moraes.
X, with millions of users, is a key market for Brazil. The blockage follows a prolonged conflict between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, right-wing internet users, and misinformation.
Despite Elon Musk's accusations against Judge Alexandre de Moraes of constitutional violations, the panel consisting of five Supreme Court justices, including de Moraes himself, endorsed the blockage of Musk's platform X due to its lack of a local legal representative. Musk, in response, created an X account to document de Moraes' actions against him.
