A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered the suspension in Brazil within 24 hours of the social network X, owned by tycoon Elon Musk, following a long standoff.
This is the latest episode in the joust between Alexandre de Moraes, judge of the Supreme Federal Court and figure in the fight against disinformation in Brazil, and the American billionaire, champion of freedom of expression.
Judge Moraes gave the platform 24 hours on Wednesday evening to appoint a legal representative in the country, or face blocking – to the detriment of its 22 million users, according to estimates by specialist website DataReportal.
The “immediate, complete and integral suspension of the operation of “X Brasil Internet LTDA” on the national territory” has been decided, according to the decision issued on Friday by the judge, consulted by AFP.
The magistrate ordered the National Telecommunications Agency to “adopt all necessary measures” so that this measure comes into force within 24 hours in the largest country in Latin America.
He also called on tech giants Google and Apple, as well as internet service providers, to “introduce technological barriers that can prevent the use of the X application” and access to the website.
And he threatened fines of 50,000 reais (about 12,000 Canadian dollars) per day for people who resort to “technological subterfuges” to circumvent the blockade, such as the use of virtual private networks, also known as VPNs.
When the deadline expired on Thursday evening, the social network said in a statement that it expected to be blocked “soon” for its refusal to comply with Judge Moraes’ “illegal orders” intended to “censor its political opponents.”
The suspension will remain in effect until the social network complies with the Brazilian justice system’s decisions, pays the fines imposed on it and appoints a legal representative, according to the decision issued Friday.
“Who does he think he is?”
On August 17, Elon Musk announced the closure of X’s offices in Brazil, citing the actions of Judge Moraes, while leaving the service available there.
The top magistrate opened an investigation into Elon Musk in April, accusing him of reactivating accounts suspended by order of the Brazilian courts. X had admitted that users had managed to circumvent the restrictions.
In recent years, the judge has ordered the blocking of accounts of influential figures in Brazil’s ultra-conservative movements for spreading “fake news.”
This is particularly true since the attempts by supporters of the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), an admirer of Elon Musk, to discredit the electronic voting system in the election won by his left-wing rival Lula in 2022.
Elon Musk has ramped up attacks on Alexandre de Moraes this week, calling the judge a “dictator” and accusing him of stifling free speech.
“Who does he think he is?” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacted to the billionaire on Friday.
“Any citizen from any part of the world who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and laws,” he said on local radio MaisPB.
Elon Musk is also the subject of a judicial investigation in Brazil in the case of “digital militias”, suspected of having used public money to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Mr. Bolsonaro and his close associates.
In the past, platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp have been temporarily suspended in Brazil by court orders.