X Defends Himself In Brazil's Supreme Court For Account Blocking Violations

X-view illustration (photo: x @daily_news)

JAKARTA - Lawyers representing X in Brazil gave an explanation to the Supreme Court on Friday, April 26, that "operational errors" have allowed blocked users to remain active on the social media platform.

Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes last week asked the social media giant to explain why X, allegedly did not fully comply with the decision ordering the company to block several accounts.

In a 20-page legal document, attorney X says the account owner has tried to evade restrictions ordered by the court to continue using the platform by creating new accounts. They added that they did not reactivate these users.

A report by Brazilian federal police last week showed that accounts on X that have been ordered by the high court to be blocked were still active on the platform in early April, could even acquire new followers, and make live video broadcasts.

X said on Friday that police reports had been tracking six accounts, out of a total of more than 200 accounts blocked by Brazil's high court since 2022.

The company added that these users are owned by people who have a history of "continued relentlessly trying to violate the safety measures" that are inserted, and said they were taking advantage of "operational errors" and "systemic certencies" on the platform to keep using them.

One of the strategies used by these users is to enter a link to an external site where they broadcast a video in their profile bio, according to X.

X said operating failures made it possible to view the user's bio profile on X when logging in through the app, although those accounts seemed blocked when accessed via the website.

The company also called these cases "unusual" and said they had fixed the issue as soon as they detected it.

Moraes, whose decision regarding Elon Musk's X has been called "unconstitutional", opened an investigation earlier this month against the billionaire after Musk said he would reactivate an account on X that had been blocked by the judge.

The judge is investigating "digital militias" accused of spreading fake news and hate messages, along with illegal practices on social networks, during the administration of the former extreme right President, Jair Bolsonaro, and also led an investigation into the alleged coup attempt by Bolsonaro.