Breaking: Elon Musk’s X Faces Ban In Brazil, Court Rules

Elon Musk’s X faces a ban in Brazil following a ruling by the country’s top court. The Federal Supreme Court, led by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, suspended the platform after it failed to appoint a legal representative within the mandated 24-hour deadline. The decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Tesla CEO and Brazilian authorities.

Update: In the latest development, Justice Alexandre de Moraes has threatened Brazilians using VPNs in order to access the X platform with fines soaring as high as $9,000 per day.

Elon Musk’s X Banned In Brazil

Brazil’s top court has announced the suspension of X, accusing the social media firm of repeatedly ignoring court orders to appoint a legal representative. According to a recent report, Minister Alexandre de Moraes instructed the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) to cut off access to the platform in Brazil within the next 24 hours.

In addition, he also ordered tech giants like Apple and Google to remove Elon Musk’s social media platform from their app stores within five days. Moraes criticized the platform for creating a “lawless land” in Brazil.

The Minister argued that the platform has been utilized to spread hate speech, racism, and anti-democratic content on a mass scale. Notably, he had imposed a fine of R$50,000 per day on users who attempted to access the platform using VPNs and other means.

Meanwhile, Moraes accused the platform of facilitating extremist groups and failing to take down profiles that spread misinformation and attack democratic institutions. Besides, this action follows X’s missing deadline to comply with court orders while ignoring fines of around R$18 million.

Elon Musk’s Legal Battle In Brazil

Elon Musk has publicly challenged the court’s actions, calling them illegal and politically motivated. According to the social media firm, Judge Alexandre de Moraes demanded compliance with orders that contradict Brazil’s own laws.

In addition, the platform accused Moraes of threatening to imprison its legal representative, who resigned following the pressure. Notably, X shut down its office in Brazil earlier this month, citing threats against its legal representative. Referring to Justice Moreas, Elon Musk called him tyrant de Voldemort stating that X is the most used news platform in Brazil, and Moreas is using his power wrongfully to curb free speech.

𝕏 is the most used news source in Brazil. It is what the people want.

Now, the tyrant de Voldemort is crushing the people’s right to free speech. https://t.co/gR8aq3JzzU

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 31, 2024

In a statement, the social media firm said it would publish all court filings and demands made by Moraes to ensure transparency. Musk took to his platform to criticize the judge’s actions, labeling them as part of a broader strategy to censor political opponents. The platform vowed to protect free speech rights, arguing that it would not comply with secretive or unlawful demands.

Meanwhile, the tech mogul has described the court’s approach as atypical, noting that the judge’s orders were not in line with Brazil’s legal standards. The social media giant accused the Brazilian court of bias and vowed to fight back.