BRASILIA (Reuters) – A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered telecommunications regulator Anatel to shut down Elon Musk’s social media platform X after the billionaire failed to comply with an order to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
What is the conflict about?
Judge Alexandre de Moraes and Musk have been locked in a public feud for months, after X failed to comply with legal orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading “fake news” and hate speech. X, formerly known as Twitter, claims that Moraes threatened to arrest one of the company’s legal representatives in Brazil if he did not comply. Musk’s platform had closed all its Brazilian offices due to what the judge called “censorship”, although the service had remained available to users in the country.
WHEN WILL THIS EFFECT?
Moraes ordered an immediate takedown of the social media giant in Brazil. Shutting down the messaging platform can take hours or days as Anatel needs to communicate with telecommunications carriers to drop X traffic. Moraes also froze the financial assets of Musk’s Starlink by issuing an order to freeze the accounts of the satellite internet network that has rapidly expanded the number of users in Brazil. The judge’s motive was to cover unpaid fines amounting to 18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) that he had previously imposed on X for ignoring court orders. In response to a post reporting reports that Starlink accounts had been blocked, Musk called Moraes a “dictator” on X.
HOW IS PLATFORM X SHUT DOWN?
According to Brazilian laws governing the internet, social media must have a representative in the country. The judge said companies that violate Brazilian law could temporarily halt their operations. Regulator Anatel has started notifying airlines to ensure they drop X. Users can still bypass the block by using VPNs. But to avoid that loophole, Moraes said individuals or companies that tried to maintain access to the social network that way could be fined up to 50,000 reais ($8,909) per day.
WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE IMPACT?
X is widely used in Brazil and is an important communication tool, especially for politicians, as a means to express their views and attack their rivals. The country is about to enter the campaign phase for local municipal elections in October, which will elect the mayors of 5,568 cities.
RIGHT-LEFT DIVISION ON THE ISSUE?
Reactions to the feud between Moraes and Musk are divided. Some X users shared Musk’s criticism of the judge’s decisions, saying he was undermining freedom of expression in Brazil. Others agree with the judge’s position that Musk should not be above Brazilian law.
Supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro see Musk as an ally in their opposition to Moraes’ investigation into so-called digital militias accused of spreading “fake news” and hate speech during Bolsonaro’s administration, which stretched from 2019 to 2022 .
($1 = 5.6121 reais)
