A Brazilian “dictator” judge is threatening to shut down Elon Musk’s X in Brazil after the social media platform refused to comply with demands to censor its users.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes threatened Musk’s X with suspension on Thursday.
However, the company has refused to back down.
Reuters reported that de Moraes ordered Musk to choose a Brazil-based legal representative for X within 24 hours or the platform would be suspended in the country.
The nation’s laws reportedly require social media to have a Brazilian-based representative.
According to the report, de Moraes said companies that violate Brazil’s law could face suspension for a period of time
Musk announced the closure of all of X’s Brazil offices on August 17.
X’s “Global Government Affairs” account posted a statement on Thursday.
The statement warns that the judge’s directives were “illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”
“When we attempted to defend ourselves in court, Judge de Moraes threatened our Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment,” the account wrote.
“Even after she resigned, he froze all her bank accounts.”
Soon, we expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes will order X to be shut down in Brazil – simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents. These enemies include a duly elected Senator and a 16-year-old girl, among others.
When we attempted…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 29, 2024
A Brazilian Supreme Court source told Reuters that Musk’s company, Starlink Holding, had its financial accounts blocked by Moraes on Thursday.
Musk confirmed that SpaceX will provide Starlink’s satellite Internet service to Brazilian users for free until the issue is resolved.
He noted how “remote schools and hospitals” depend on the company’s services.
Many remote schools and hospitals depend on SpaceX’s Starlink!
SpaceX will provide Internet service to users in Brazil for free until this matter is resolved, as we cannot receive payment, but don’t want to cut anyone off. https://t.co/BHlPpbsKR6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024
Musk slammed the judge on X as “dictator of Brazil.”
He also swiped at Brazil’s socialist President Lula.
Lula warned Friday that Musk must obey the court’s rulings, according to Reuters.
The tyrant, @Alexandre, is dictator of Brazil. Lula is his lapdog. https://t.co/svONz3iv5S
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2024
The feud started in April 2024 when a Brazilian court ordered X to block specific Brazilian accounts, according to an April 6 post by X Global Government Affairs.
The company argued that the orders did not align with Brazil’s laws.
X also noted that Brazilians deserve the right to freedom of speech.
The Guardian reported at the time that de Moraes had issued the orders amid an investigation into alleged misconduct by Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil.
The judge’s orders are the latest example of governments cracking down on tech platforms.
In the wake of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest and subsequent charges, civil libertarians have expressed concerns over the future of free speech in the digital age.
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