Brazil’s telecommunications regulator announced on Friday, August 30, 2024 that it is suspending access to Elon Musk’s X social network, formerly known as Twitter, to comply with a court order following a missed deadline to appoint a local representative.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been engaged in a months-long dispute with Musk over regulating online speech.
The suspension comes after the platform failed to comply with multiple court orders, including the payment of fines and compliance with regulations related to hate speech. Despite Musk’s claim that the order amounts to “unjustified censorship,” Moraes argues that social media needs regulations to prevent the spread of hate speech and misinformation.
Three major Brazilian telecommunications carriers are set to begin blocking access to X from 0300 GMT on Saturday. Additionally, Moraes has ordered penalties for users accessing X through VPNs and the freezing of Starlink’s bank accounts in Brazil.
Musk criticized the decision as a violation of free speech, calling President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a “lapdog” of the judge and referring to Moraes as a “dictator.”
