Musk has been feuding for months with Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading the fight against disinformation in South America’s largest nation.
A. de Moraes ordered the “immediate, complete and total suspension of the activities of X Brasil Internet LTDA in the territory of the country”.
He told the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to “take all necessary measures” within 24 hours to implement the order. He also asked Google, Apple and Internet service providers to “implement technological barriers that could prevent the use of X app” and access to the website.
The social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, has more than 22 million users in Brazil. users.
This month, Musk terminated X’s business operations in Brazil, alleging that de Moraes had threatened the company’s former legal representative with arrest to force compliance with “censorship orders.”
On Wednesday, de Moraes ordered Musk to “appoint a new legal representative for the company in Brazil within 24 hours” or the platform would be suspended.
On his platform, the South African-born Tesla boss called de Moraes an “evil dictator pretending to be a judge” and accused him of “trying to destroy democracy in Brazil.”
“We expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes to soon order the closure of X in Brazil – simply because we will not comply with his illegal orders to censor our political opponents,” X said in a statement shortly after the 24-hour deadline passed.
“What does E. Musk think he is?”
The conflict with E. Musk began when A. de Moraes ordered the suspension of several “X” accounts belonging to supporters of former Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro tried to discredit the voting system in the 2022 election, which he lost. Brazilian authorities are investigating whether he was plotting a coup to prevent current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency in January 2023.
Internet users blocked by de Moraes include figures such as far-right ex-congressman Daniel Silveira, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2022 on charges of leading a movement to overthrow the Supreme Court.
In April, de Moraes ordered an investigation into Musk, accusing him of reactivating some banned accounts. Musk and other critics accuse the judge of stifling free speech.
“Any citizen of any country in the world who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian constitution and laws,” Lula told a local radio station on Friday. – What does he (E. Musk) consider himself to be?”
On Saturday morning, the blocking of E. Musk’s social network “X” began to work in Brazil, AFP reports. Access to the platform has become impossible for some users in the South American country, they are getting a message asking them to reopen the browser, but they have not been able to log in successfully.
2024-08-31 10:33:28