Social media platform X banned in Brazil: Users face $8,900 fine for accessing
The Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered the “immediate suspension” of social media platform X in the country.
The move marks the latest development in a months-long battle between Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Elon Musk over the regulation of misinformation on social media. Previously, Judge Moraes ordered the freezing of Starlink satellite internet accounts in Brazil, a service provided by SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk.
On August 30, Judge de Moraes issued an order for the complete and immediate suspension of X until all court orders related to the platform are complied with, including the payment of fines to to 18.5 million BRL (3.28 million USD) and appointing a legal representative in Brazil. De Moraes stated: “Elon Musk has shown a complete disregard for Brazil’s sovereignty, especially its judiciary, acting as if he were a supranational entity immune to the law laws of each country”.
He also cited Musk’s statements as evidence that X “intends to continue to encourage posts with extremist content and hate speech.”
The court gave internet service providers and app stores five days to block access to X. To prevent users from bypassing the ban on using Virtual Private Networks. Judge Moraes stated that individuals or companies attempting to access social media platforms through such means could face daily fines of up to 50,000 BRL ($8,900).
Previously, on August 29, a representative approved it. The representative also mentioned: “We have not complied with his illegal censorship orders against political opponents.”
Before targeting X, Brazilian judges shut down WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging app in the country, in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to comply with police requests for user data. In 2022, Judge de Moraes threatened to shut down Telegram, citing the platform’s repeated failure to comply with government requests to block certain accounts and provide user information. He ordered Telegram to appoint a local representative so that the platform continues to operate in Brazil.
This ongoing conflict highlights tensions between tech giants and national governments over the regulation of digital platforms and the spread of misinformation.
