On Saturday, the social network X began to be blocked throughout Brazil after the country's Supreme Court ordered its suspension. This decision was made because Elon Musk, the owner of X, refused to comply with court orders demanding the closure of certain accounts on the platform.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes, a member of the Supreme Court, instructed Brazil's telecommunications agency to block access to X throughout the country. Moraes argued that the company's lack of physical presence in Brazil made it difficult to comply with national laws.
Musk shut down X's Brazil office last week following Moraes' threats to arrest company employees for failing to comply with orders to remove accounts that the judge said violated Brazilian laws. X responded that the court orders were illegal and that it planned to publish them.
In addition, Moraes ruled that anyone attempting to access X via virtual private networks (VPNs) could be fined up to $9,000 per day. This measure seeks to prevent users from evading the block imposed by the Supreme Court.
In a further move, Moraes froze the funds of Starlink, another Musk company that provides satellite internet services in Brazil. This was an attempt to collect $3 million in fines that Moraes had previously levied on X. Starlink has rapidly gained popularity in Brazil, with over 250,000 users.
The conflict between Musk and Moraes has been escalating for several months. Musk accuses the judge of illegal censorship of conservative voices, while Moraes argues that Musk obstructs his work to protect Brazilian democracy. Folha de São Paulo reported that the judge called Musk an "outlaw" for allowing disinformation and hate speech to spread.
This confrontation is central to Musk's efforts to transform X into a free speech platform, even though that may negatively affect his business. According to Appfigures data, Brazil is the fourth country in the world with the most X downloads, highlighting the importance of the Brazilian market for the company.
In recent days, the Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has backed the blockade, arguing that no one, no matter how much money they have, can be above the law. Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Brazil said it was monitoring the situation.
Although this is not the first time an online service has been blocked in Brazil for not complying with court orders, the length of this block could prove Musk's determination to prioritize his ideology over revenue and influence.
The outcome of this conflict will determine the future of X in Brazil, a key market for the company, and could set a precedent for managing digital platforms in the country.
