Brazil’s Supreme Court passed a ruling on Friday banning Elon Musk’s X
Brazil has begun blocking access to X after the country’s highest court passed a ruling banning the Elon Musk-owned app for refusing to comply with a Supreme Court justice’s order.
It is the latest development in the escalating conflict between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes over the protection of free speech online.
Friday’s ruling also includes fines of $8,900 per day for anyone trying to access X in Brazil, such as by using a VPN.
What went down?
Judge Moraes had recently demanded that X appoint a local legal representative in Brazil who could facilitate judicial requests to block accounts spreading fake news.
Musk refused, fearing the representative could be arrested. X even shut down its operations in Brazil to protect its staff.
In response, Moraes froze the bank accounts of Musk’s satellite company, Starlink, and threatened further action on X.
What’s next?
Musk criticized the ban, calling Moraes a dictator and accused him of destroying democracy. X has stated it will not comply with what it considers illegal orders.
The suspension could have a major impact on X. Brazil is a significant market for the app, with 40 million users.
The South American country has previously banned WhatsApp and Telegram but usually reinstates them after reaching agreements with the platforms.