Musk's X banned in Brazil after disinformation row

Elon Musk's social media platform, known as X, which was previously called Twitter, has been banned in Brazil. This ban was put in place after the company failed to meet a deadline set by a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, who required X to appoint a new legal representative in the country. The judge ordered the 'immediate and complete suspension' of the platform until it adheres to all court orders and pays any outstanding fines. The controversy began in April when the judge mandated the suspension of numerous X accounts that were accused of disseminating disinformation. In response to this ruling, Musk stated, 'Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes. ' X is reportedly used by about one-tenth of Brazil's 200 million population. By Saturday morning, many users reported that they could no longer access the platform. Earlier this month, X had closed its office in Brazil, claiming that its representative faced threats of arrest if she did not comply with what the company described as 'censorship,' which they argued was illegal under Brazilian law. Justice Moraes had ordered that X accounts accused of spreading disinformation, many of which belonged to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, must be blocked while under investigation. He also stated that the company's legal representatives would be held accountable if any of these accounts were reactivated. X has faced threats of fines for its refusal to comply with this order, and both Musk and the company have joined critics in Brazil in accusing the judge of having a left-wing bias. This incident is just the latest in a series of conflicts involving Musk, who has also clashed with the European Union over regulations concerning X. The head of Brazil's telecommunications agency, which is responsible for enforcing the suspension of the platform, stated that he is 'proceeding with the compliance' to carry out the ban, according to reports from Reuters. Justice Moraes has given companies like Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores and to block its use on iOS and Android systems. He also warned that individuals or businesses using methods such as VPNs (virtual private networks) to access the platform could face fines of R$50,000, which is approximately £6,700. According to the judge's order, the ban will remain in effect until X appoints a new legal representative in Brazil and pays the fines for violating Brazilian law. In a previous post from one of its official accounts, X stated that it would not comply with the judge's demands. 'Soon, we expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes will order X to be shut down in Brazil – simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents,' the post read. 'The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that. ' Justice Moraes has been involved in a long-standing dispute with X. Meanwhile, the bank accounts of Musk's satellite internet company, Starlink, have been frozen in Brazil following an earlier order from the Supreme Court. Starlink responded with a post on X, stating that the 'order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied – unconstitutionally – against X. ' Justice Moraes gained prominence after his decisions to restrict social media platforms in Brazil. He is also investigating former president Bolsonaro and his supporters for their roles in an alleged attempted coup on January 8 last year. X is not the first social media company to face pressure from Brazilian authorities. Last year, Telegram was temporarily banned for failing to cooperate with requests to block certain profiles. Meta's messaging service, WhatsApp, also faced temporary bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to comply with police requests for user data.