The Supreme Court in Brazil confirms the blocking of the social media platform X. The judges accuse the service of not taking decisive enough action against the spread of hate speech and fake news.
The majority of a five-member panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court has confirmed the decision of Judge Alexandre de Moraes to block the social media platform X in Brazil. On Friday, Supreme Court Judge de Moraes ordered that the platform owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk should immediately and completely cease its business activities in the world's seventh-largest country by population.
Musk had shown “total disregard for Brazilian sovereignty and especially for the judiciary,” said de Moraes, justifying the decision. Elon Musk wrote on his platform that the number 1 source of truth would thus be closed. He called de Moraes an evil dictator who had disguised himself as a judge.
Escalation over months
De Moraes' decision on Friday escalated a months-long legal dispute. After the coup attempt in January 2023, de Moraes had initiated several proceedings against so-called digital militias that were said to have spread disinformation and hate speech before the storming of the government headquarters.
Most social networks subsequently made agreements with the Brazilian government to block extremist and violent content – with the exception of X.
De Moraes launched an investigation against Musk in April, accusing him of reactivating illegal accounts. Musk then accused the judge of censorship.
As a result, Musk announced that he would close the X office in Brazil because he feared for the safety of employees. On Thursday, de Moraes gave Musk a 24-hour deadline to reappoint a legal representative for X and then ordered the blocking of X when Musk missed the deadline.
Rules or censorship?
A decision that was approved by legal advisor Allan Carlos da Silva Marques. All companies in Brazil must abide by the rules and the government must remain firm if one of the companies does not do so – regardless of political views.
However, there is a lot of criticism on social media. There is talk of censorship. Brazil is joining a list of authoritarian countries and dictatorships from North Korea to Russia to Venezuela, commented Nicolas Ferreira on the decision – he is one of the most popular MPs from the camp of the extreme right-wing ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Musk himself honored him as a “courageous man.”
Deliberate provocation of Brazilian Authorities
However, Musk has complied with court orders to remove content in other countries, recalls political scientist Mauricio Santoro, who is researching this dispute. For example, X restricted access to some content before the Turkish presidential election in May 2023. Musk is also said to have blocked content critical of the government in India.
The US businessman has become a “personality in Brazilian party politics,” says Santoro. And he has decided to provoke the Brazilian authorities with his refusal. He is calculating that the exact reasons for his suspension will not be fully understood in Brazil and that his blockade will therefore be met with a negative response in most countries.
Santoro fears that the suspension of X could also have an impact on domestic politics. It could strengthen the narrative of Bolsonaro supporters that the Brazilian left, with the help of de Moraes, is authoritarian and restricting freedom of expression.
Meanwhile a culture war
In fact, the legal dispute has become a political culture war. Brazil's political right has long accused Judge de Moraes of being authoritarian and exceeding his powers, while the progressive left celebrates him – rather uncritically – as a guardian of democracy.
There is hardly any room for constructive discussions beyond the black and white, observes political scientist Santoro. “It is hardly possible to look at the case soberly anymore. Very turbulent times are coming.”
The X-blocking will further increase this polarization – and in an important election year. Local elections will be held in Brazil in October.
