An influential Brazilian Supreme Court judge banned Elon Musk’s social media network X in the country on Friday after the US billionaire investor and owner of the micro-blogging site refused to comply with local laws, angering the court.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the “immediate, complete, and comprehensive suspension” of X’s operations in Brazil and directed the national communications agency to take “all necessary measures” to enforce the order.
Moraes also imposed a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for anyone attempting to circumvent the block using “technological subterfuges” like a VPN, according to an AFP news.
According to Reuters, Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge held that X needs hate speech regulations.
The controversy between Musk and de Moraes began when the judge ordered the suspension of several accounts on X, formerly Twitter, linked to supporters of former Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who had attempted to discredit the 2022 election results, according to media reports.
Brazilian authorities are investigating whether Bolsonaro had plotted a coup to prevent current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023.
In April, Moraes ordered an investigation into Musk, alleging that he reactivated some of the suspended accounts.
X claimed that Moraes threatened to arrest one of its legal representatives in Brazil if the company did not comply with his orders.
In response, Musk’s platform closed its offices in Brazil, citing “censorship” by the judge, though its service remained accessible to users in the country.
“We have a right to defend fundamental rights. Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable,” Moraes said in a speech on Friday, apparently referring to X.
The Brazilian Supreme Court judge stated that the suspension of X would remain in effect until all related court orders were fulfilled, including the payment of fines totaling 18.5 million reais ($3.28 million), which had previously been imposed on the social media network for disregarding judicial orders.
The suspension will also continue until the company appoints a representative in Brazil.
Moraes also ordered the freezing of the financial assets of Musk’s company, Starlink, by blocking the accounts of the satellite internet network, which has rapidly expanded its user base in Brazil.
On Wednesday, he warned Musk that he had 24 hours to appoint a new representative, or he would face further suspension.
However, X did not take any measures to comply with the orders. In a statement X stated that it expected Moraes to close its operations in the country “simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”
According to reports, X has over 22 million users in Brazil.
After the ban, a large number of Brazilians migrated to the rival network, Bluesky. Bluesky reported that it had gained 500,000 users in the past two days, according to The Guardian. “Welcome to Bluesky!” the company posted to its new users in Portuguese.
Elon Musk, who acquired X in 2022, reacted strongly to the ban, labelling Alexandre de Moraes as an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.” Musk also accused de Moraes of “trying to destroy democracy in Brazil.”
“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” he wrote on X.
“They’re shutting down the #1 source of truth in Brazil,” Musk added.
