The conflict between Elon Musk and Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is escalating. The platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has come under scrutiny following its ban in the country.
Legal Action Against X Ban
The Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the NOVO party have approached Supreme Court Justice Nunes Marques to overturn Alexandre de Moraes’ decision to suspend X. They filed an ADPF (Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental), seeking urgent action to repeal the ban or scrap fines for VPN users, which experts call 'unenforceable.' This move could overturn the X ban and even affect the Starlink verdict.
Global Reaction to Censorship in Brazil
Following the current ruling, the global community has turned its attention to the situation in Brazil. At the start of September, all five justices of the Supreme Court panel voted to uphold the ban on X. The ban, which went into effect over the weekend, was ordered by Moraes after the company missed a court-imposed deadline to name a legal representative in Brazil. In his original ruling, released on Friday, Moraes labeled Elon Musk an 'outlaw' for intending 'to allow the massive spread of disinformation, hate speech, and attacks on the democratic rule of law, thereby violating the free choice of the electorate by keeping voters away from real and accurate information.'
Freedom of Speech Issues
Since the ban, Elon Musk has been very vocal on the platform X, calling for the freedom of speech to be returned to the people of Brazil. This week, Moraes was accused of censoring the social media accounts of ordinary Brazilians. Critics argue that Moraes' actions, purportedly to protect democracy, contradict democratic principles by silencing one side of the political debate. In response, Musk stated, 'Moraes was demanding that X take actions that are illegal under Brazilian law and be silent about it. If that is not extreme corruption, what is?' Despite the Supreme Court's fines over VPN use, Brazilian citizens continue to defend their right to free speech. The X platform remains the most popular news app in the country even after five days of suspension.
The conflict between Elon Musk and Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes continues to unfold. Issues of freedom of speech and censorship have captured global attention, and the outcome of this situation will have significant implications for both Brazil and the international community.
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