Brazil Blocks Access To X: Elon Musk Clashes With Supreme Court Justices Regarding Freedom Of Speech

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. clash with Elon mUsk (photo: x @alexandre)

JAKARTA - Brazil has officially suspended access to social media platform X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, after the company failed to comply with a court order to appoint a legal representative in the country. The decision was taken on Friday, August 30, by Brazil's telecommunications regulator, Anatel, following prolonged tensions between Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

This feud stems from Moraes' order earlier this year, requiring X to block accounts suspected of being involved in the spread of fake news and hate speech. Musk, who previously closed X's office in Brazil but retained platform operations in the country, denounced the decision as an unfair form of censorship. "They closed Brazil's number one source of truth," Musk wrote in a post on X on Friday.

However, Judge Moraes remained firm in his stance. In his ruling, he stressed that platform X must fully comply with court orders, including paying fines of more than US$3 million (Rp45 billion) and appointing local representatives in accordance with Brazilian law. Moraes also ordered telecommunications companies in Brazil to stop network X traffic and ensure users cannot access it via VPN. Users caught accessing X through VPN will be fined up to 50,000 reais (Rp135 million) per day.

Three leading telecommunication operators in Brazil, according to reports from local UOL news outlets, stated that they would begin blocking access on Saturday midnight (03.00 GMT), August 31. However, some users reported that their access to X had begun blocking on Friday night.

This decision has the potential to cause X to lose one of the largest and most desirable markets in the world, especially as Musk is struggling to increase the platform's advertising revenue. Moraes initially also ordered big tech companies like Apple and Google to remove app X from their app stores and implement anti-VPN barriers. However, the order was later canceled by Moraes.

In addition, in further developments, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the freezing of the account of the Starlink satellite internet provider bank, which Musk also owns. Starlink had previously asked the Supreme Court to suspend this decision, arguing it had complied with all court orders. However, the request was rejected on Friday evening.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in his comments on Friday, stressed that all businesses operating in Brazil must comply with their legal obligations. "Just because someone has a lot of money, it doesn't mean he can disrespect the law," the president of the left camp said in an interview with local radio.

Musk, who is also CEO of electric vehicle company Tesla and owner of 40% of shares in rocket company SpaceX, firmly criticized President Lula, calling it Moraes' "pet dog" in his post on X on Thursday, August 29, and called Moraes a "dictator."

Judge Moraes, in his speech at an event on Friday, pointed out that he would not back down from his decision. "Those who violate democracy and human rights, either directly or through social media, must be held accountable," he said.

The tension between Musk and the Brazilian government creates uncertainty over X's future in the country, especially given how important the Brazilian market is to the social media platform. With increasingly strengthening regulations and oversight of social media platforms around the world, this case has become an important example in global debate over freedom of speech and legal responsibility in the digital era.