On Friday, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice called for an immediate halt to the operations of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, intensifying the ongoing dispute between the court and Elon Musk.
What Happened: Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded a complete and immediate suspension of X until all court orders are adhered to.
This includes the payment of fines amounting to 18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) and the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil, reported Reuters.
De Moraes has directed telecommunications regulator Anatel to enforce the suspension order and confirm its execution to the court within 24 hours.
Following this decision, Musk took to X, and shared a way around the decision saying, “Now would also be a good time to download a VPN in case you get blocked.”
However, Judge De Moraes has already cautioned that individuals or companies maintaining access to X could face daily fines of up to 50,000 reais ($8,900) to prevent the use of virtual private networks or VPNs to circumvent the suspension.
Meanwhile, Musk has also thanked the U.S. embassy after it noted freedom of expression as the fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy.
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Why It Matters: The feud between de Moraes and Musk has also led to the freezing of the financial accounts of SpaceX’s Starlink, a satellite internet provider partially owned by Musk, in Brazil.
In response to the freezing of Starlink’s finances in Brazil, Musk announced that the company would continue to provide internet service to users in Brazil for free until the matter is resolved.
X had foreseen the shutdown order, stating late on Thursday that it expected the Supreme Court justice to issue the order “soon.”
This development follows a recent order by de Moraes instructing Musk to appoint a legal representative for X in Brazil within 24 hours or face potential suspension of the platform.
Earlier in the month, X had announced its decision to cease operations and lay off its staff in Brazil, citing “censorship orders” from Moraes.
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