Rio de Janeiro: Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has significantly ruled, ordering the countrywide block of social media platform X. This drastic measure was taken as the firm has consistently refused to appoint a legal representative.
Earlier on Wednesday, de Moraes handed X, owned by Elon Musk, a 24-hour deadline to choose a spokesperson. X closed its Brazil office on August 17, citing threats to imprison its former legal counsel.
X had been at odds with de Moraes for months because the platform refused to comply with court demands to erase profiles that advocate coup-related information or harm democracy, according to Xinhua.
On Friday, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) ordered X to pay a substantial 18 million reais (about $3.2 million) in fines for non-compliance, clearly indicating the court’s seriousness in this matter.
The judge supported the ban ruling by citing the company’s continuous, wilful disregard for court orders and failure to pay daily fines. The judge accused X of seeking to circumvent Brazil’s legal system and create a ‘lawless zone’ on social media, particularly in the run-up to the 2024 local elections.
De Moraes went on to make serious accusations against X, stating that the platform has encouraged ‘the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, enabling the spread of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech,’ especially in light of the forthcoming election.
The Brazilian judge also ordered the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to restrict access to X within 24 hours. Apple and Google have been given five days to delete the X app from their respective online stores.
In addition, any individual or company that employs means such as VPNs to access X after the ban will face a daily fee of 50,000 reais (approximately $10,000).
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–IANS
