Brazil-X saga over censorship and misinformation turns interesting

Telecommunications regulators in Brazil have started the process of blocking Elon Musk-led X after the Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the social media platform for failing to pay penalties and appointing a legal representative in the country.

The top court’s Judge de Moraes and Musk have been locked in a long feud over disinformation and free speech. Some 40 million Brazilians estimated to be using X could lose access to it and face fines of up to $9,000 per day if caught using an encrypted connection.

X could lose one of its largest and most coveted markets

The billionaire entrepreneur apparently refused earlier this year to block accounts responsible for the spread of fake information and hate speech. He at the time denounced the order as censorship and closed the company’s offices in Brazil In response.

But Musk, nonetheless, ensured that the people in Brazil can still access the social media platform. On Friday, he snapped back at the court’s order, calling de Moraes “an evil dictator” for blocking the “#1 source of truth in Brazil”.

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The Supreme Court’s ruling can easily cause X to lose one of its largest and most coveted markets globally. The decision comes against a backdrop of Elon Musk apparently struggling to bring in advertising revenue for the platform.

Elon Musk’s Starlink also embroiled in a dispute in Brazil

X remained accessible in Brazil late on Friday. But some people in the country posted on other platforms that their access to the site had already been blocked. Brazil’s left-leaning President Lula has defended the court order to suspend the platform.

Besides X, Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink has also been embroiled in a dispute involving the top court that recently froze the firm’s bank accounts because of the social media platform’s unpaid fines. Keep an eye out for updates.