Brazil Blacks Out X, Musk: “They Are Destroying Free Speech”
The X social network began shutting down in the South American country on the night of August 30-31
It is a wall-to-wall clash now between tycoon Elon Musk and the Brazilian justice system. Between August 30 and 31, access to the Twitter platform, which became X after it was acquired by the South African-born tycoon, was blocked by the Federal High Court order.
On August 28, the same court gave the company an ultimatum: to appoint a legal representative in Brazil by the night of August 29-30, in a way that would comply with the provisions of Brazilian law governing foreign technology companies in the country. The failure by X to provide a representative resulted in the lockout. On top of that, on August 18, it was ordered to block the bank accounts of Starlink (another Musk company) to guarantee the payment of 3 million euros in fines imposed on X and never paid.
It all started in the spring of 2024, when Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the same one who then ordered the blockage of X and the locking of Starlink accounts, ordered the shutdown of several dozen X profiles that could be linked to supporters of former President Bolsonaro and who were allegedly spreading fake news and hate messages. A provision Musk refused to honor. Thus, Moraes opened an investigation for obstruction of justice and determined that a fine of 18,000 euros per day would be paid for each of the profiles that remain open. Hence Musk’s decision to close the Brazilian office.
“Free speech is the foundation of democracy, but in Brazil, an unelected pseudo-judge is destroying it for political reasons,” Musk explained. “The regime in Brazil has just ordered a 5-day suspension of enforcement and fines for VPN use. Everyone needs to wake up, yes, it can happen here too,” referring to the USA.
