Brazil bans X: Is there a chance of other countries doing the same?

Brazilian authorities have banned X. The ban has come into effect, but it did not come out of the blue. From 2020 to 2023, the Supreme Court in Brazil initiated three prominent and vital criminal inquiries related to social media platforms.

The first inquiry probed fraudulent information. The second one investigated organised groups that manipulate discourse and engagement on digital platforms – and the third one probed individuals and groups involved in an attack on Brazil’s Congress in 2023.

Brazil bans X. Musk’s Starlink internet also takes a hit

Then, earlier this year, the top court’s Judge de Moraes ordered Elon Musk to block several far-right accounts on X as they had apparently spread misinformation and disinformation about former President Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat in the 2022 general election.

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This did not represent the first time X had received such an order. In the latest case, Musk refused and subsequently removed X’s legal representative in Brazil. De Moraes gave Musk a deadline to appoint a representative, but the entrepreneur did not meet it.

Eventually, the authorities in Brazil decided to ban the popular social media platform. Simultaneously, the judge also blocked the financial accounts of Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink. The ban is set to continue until all court orders are agreed to.

Deepening focus on social media firms being restricted

Before the ban, Brazil had nearly 200 million X users. But as the controversial move has already come into effect, any individual caught trying to access the platform can face penalties of up to $9,000 per day. Several former X users have already migrated to other platforms.

The ban has outraged Elon Musk. But it also adds to a deepening focus globally on social media companies being restricted. Just recently, French police arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. But he later got released from custody on a €5 million bail.