A judge in Brazil has officially banned X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, bringing to the fore a months-long dispute between Elon Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. On August 30, Judge de Moraes issued the order and notified the country’s communications agency to restrict access to the platform within 24 hours.
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A panel of five judges on Brazil’s Supreme Court voted on Monday to uphold a ruling requiring the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to restrict access to X. Judge Alexandre de Moraes issued the ban on Friday in response to X owner Elon Musk’s refusal to comply with court orders to block certain accounts and locate a legal representative in the country. Four more judges have now supported that ruling.
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Poder360 and The Globe report that three judges, Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino and Cármen Lúcia, fully supported de Moraes' decision, while the fourth, Luiz Fux, expressed reservations about the fine provided for people who circumvent the ban with VPNs, saying that only people who publish criminal messages such as those expressing Nazism or fascism should be punished.
Brazil's judiciary, which has led the country's efforts against disinformation, opened an investigation into X in April after Musk said it reactivated accounts that the platform had been ordered to block.
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Musk later closed X’s offices in Brazil amid allegations that de Moraes threatened to arrest the company’s local legal representative if the platform did not follow “censorship orders.” Despite Judge de Moraes’ warning that Brazil would ban X if it did not appoint a new legal representative, Musk has still not complied, resulting in the platform’s suspension in the country.
Source: theverge
