Brazil Bans Social Media Platform X Amidst Legal Battle with Elon Musk

Brazil, home to the world’s fifth-largest internet user base, has banned the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The ban, which took effect over the weekend, follows a protracted conflict between X’s owner, Elon Musk, and Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. De Moraes had previously ordered X to block several far-right users on its platform.

Musk reacted strongly to the ban, describing de Moraes as a “fake judge” and accusing the Brazilian government of attempting to suppress free speech by threatening to bankrupt anyone who seeks to expose the truth. Beyond Musk’s personal attacks, the ban indicates that Brazilian authorities are taking a firmer stance against tech companies that defy national laws.

Between 2020 and 2023, Brazil’s Supreme Court initiated three major criminal investigations related to social media use. The first inquiry focused on fraudulent news, the second on organized groups manipulating digital discourse, and the third on individuals involved in the attack on Brazil’s Congress in 2023, following former president Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat in the 2022 election.

In April, de Moraes ordered Musk to shut down several far-right accounts that had spread misinformation about Bolsonaro’s 2022 election defeat. This was not the first time X faced such an order; after the January 2023 attack on Congress, the Supreme Court instructed X and other platforms to block certain accounts. Although Musk initially expressed concern, X eventually complied.

However, in the most recent instance, Musk refused to comply and subsequently removed X’s legal representative in Brazil, a significant move since Brazilian law mandates that foreign companies must have legal representation in the country. De Moraes set a deadline for Musk to appoint a new representative, but when Musk did not comply, the ban on X was enforced. In addition, de Moraes froze the financial accounts of Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink.

The ban on X will remain in place until Musk complies with all court orders. Prior to the ban, there were nearly 22 million users of X in Brazil.

Since the ban, many former X users have migrated to other social media platforms. For instance, more than 500,000 users have joined Bluesky, a microblogging site that has reported record-high activity levels from Brazil.

The ban is part of a broader crackdown on social media platforms operating in Brazil, with Justice de Moraes leading the charge. However, far-right groups and supporters of Bolsonaro have voiced strong opposition to both the ban and the Supreme Court. The ban is likely to exacerbate existing social tensions in the country.

Currently, other Supreme Court judges are reviewing the ban. They may decide to uphold the ban while reversing the financial penalties for those attempting to access X in Brazil, or they could potentially overturn the ban altogether.

Since the ban, Musk has suggested in social media posts that other countries, including the United States, may follow Brazil’s example and ban X. However, there is no evidence to support this claim, and the ban only applies within Brazil.

This development contributes to a growing international sentiment that large social media companies can be regulated and are not above national laws. For example, last week, French police arrested Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, over allegations of facilitating crimes committed on the platform. Other countries, such as Australia that are interested in tightening social media regulations will likely be watching both cases closely.

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