The Brazilian Supreme Court has upheld a decision from one of its justices to suspend the operations of social media platform X in the country. This decision followed platform owner Elon Musk's refusal to appoint a legal representative for the company's operations in Brazil.
Supreme Court Decision
On September 2, a panel of five Supreme Court justices in Brazil unanimously upheld Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ August 30 ruling that suspends the operations of X in the country. Moraes’ decision came after Elon Musk, the owner of X, refused to name a legal representative for the firm’s operations in Brazil.
Criticism from Elon Musk
In the months leading up to Moraes’ decision, Musk heavily criticized the Supreme Court judge on X, calling him 'evil' and a 'dictator' for his alleged 'illegal political censorship' of the social media platform. It remains unclear how Musk will respond, now that four other justices have agreed with Moraes’ ruling.
Consequences for Users
Justice Moraes had been investigating X for allowing and promoting misinformation related to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Since Musk’s takeover of the company in October 2022, many businesses have pulled advertising due to reports of pro-nazi content appearing alongside their ads. According to Moraes' decision, X will remain suspended in Brazil until the company pays outstanding fines totaling more than $3 million as of August 30. Brazilian residents and companies using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the site could also face fines of up to 50,000 reais (roughly $8,900).
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
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