A decisive move by a leading court in Brazil has resulted in the unprecedented nationwide suspension of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, following a prolonged legal confrontation regarding content moderation practices, reports Bloomberg.
The court declared that any attempt to bypass the suspension using VPN services would trigger daily fines of 50,000 reais ($8,900), though the specifics of enforcement remain uncertain.
Earlier in the month, X ceased its operations within Brazil as a sign of protest against judicial mandates to eliminate accounts accused of disseminating misinformation. At that juncture, the company expressed that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had “coerced our legal representative in Brazil with threats of imprisonment for non-compliance with his censorship directives.” Moraes had issued a warning to X earlier, stating that non-appointment of a legal representative in Brazil would lead to the service’s banishment.
According to a statement from X’s global affairs team, “We anticipate an imminent order from Judge Alexandre de Moraes to shut down X in Brazil, due to our refusal to adhere to his unlawful censorship demands against his political adversaries,” which was shared via a tweet on Friday morning.
The company has vowed to disclose the Brazilian supreme court’s requisitions in the near future but insists on not conforming to its decrees.