A panel of justices on Brazil’s federal highest court decided in favour of upholding rulings that prohibit the countrywide use of Elon Musk’s social network X.
TakeAway Points:
- The judges of Brazil’s federal highest court ruled in favour of upholding directives that prohibit the countrywide use of Elon Musk’s social network X.
- In order to guarantee that Musk’s social network would cover its penalty, the court also placed a freeze on the financial assets of another company he founded, the Brazilian satellite internet provider Starlink.
- According to Musk and his businesses, the court orders are “illegal” and were not given due process. Musk has frequently referred to Alexandre de Moraes, the chief justice of the court, as a “criminal” and called for his impeachment.
X is suspended in Brazil
One justice, Luiz Fux, voted to uphold but expressed “reservations” about a measure of the order that allows the court to fine individuals or businesses that engage in “subterfuge,” for example using VPNs, to use X while it is blocked.
The court’s top justice, Alexandre de Moraes, had issued the controversial suspension orders late Friday after warning on Wednesday that Musk and X had 24 hours to appoint a legal representative for their business in Brazil or face “penalty of suspension of activities.” X had earlier defied court requests to take down accounts or posts that it said violated Brazil’s laws on political misinformation and hate speech online.
The court also froze the financial assets of another Musk-led business, satellite internet service Starlink, in Brazil to ensure his social network would pay its fines.
Brazil’s telecoms regulator, Anatel, instructed internet service providers, including Starlink, to block access to X in the country until it complies with the court orders. However, Brazil-based UOL reported that Starlink has informed the regulator it does not intend to comply with the orders and now faces the possibility of Brazil revoking its licenses to operate there.
Brazil’s suspension of X was in effect by early Saturday, making the app and website mostly inaccessible to users in the country, a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. with a highly online population.
Reactions from X’s CEO
Musk and his companies have said they view de Moraes actions as “illegal” and the court’s orders as having been issued without due process. The tech billionaire has been ramping up insults and calls to impeach de Moraes throughout the week. Musk escalated his rhetoric over the Labor Day weekend in the U.S.
He called for ending U.S. foreign aid to Brazil, adding that “there will be reciprocal confiscation of assets of those who support the current regime in Brazil to pay for their illegal actions,” without providing any evidence to support his statement.
On Monday, Musk called de Moraes a “criminal” and wrote in another post on X, “Unless the Brazilian government returns the illegally seized property of and SpaceX, we will seek reciprocal seizure of government assets too.”
The Associated Press reported the blocking of X in Brazil had “divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban” and that many Brazilians “had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.”
However, some social media users in Brazil are moving to other social networks. Bluesky on Aug. 30 disclosed “new all-time highs for activity” from users in Brazil.
Musk has billed himself as a free speech proponent, but his track record is inconsistent. While he has resisted orders to remove accounts or content from authorities in Brazil and Australia, under his management, X has removed content critical of ruling parties in Turkey and India.
