RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was proceeding to suspend access to Elon Musk's X social network in the country in compliance with an Supreme Court order.
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X to be blocked nationwide after the company refused to appoint a legal representative in the country.
On Wednesday, de Moraes gave X, owned by Elon Musk, a 24-hour deadline to designate a representative. X shut down its Brazil office on Aug 17, claiming that there were threats to detain its former legal representative.
X had been in conflict with de Moraes for months over the platform's refusal to comply with court orders to remove profiles that promote coup-related content or undermine democracy.
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) also ordered X to pay fines amounting to 18 million reais ($ 3.2 million) for non-compliance.
The judge justified the block decision, citing the company's repeated, willful defiance of court orders and refusal to pay daily fines, accusing X of attempting to bypass Brazil's legal system and create a "lawless zone" on social media, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 municipal elections.
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De Moraes added that X has facilitated "the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, enabling the spread of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech," particularly ahead of the upcoming elections.
The Brazilian judge also instructed Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block access to X in Brazil within 24 hours. Apple and Google have been given five days to remove the X app from their online stores.
Additionally, a daily fine of 50,000 reais was imposed on any individual or company that uses methods such as VPNs to access X after the ban.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned that Musk must respect the decisions of the Supreme Federal Court and cannot insult Brazilian authorities.
Lula da Silva told local radio station MaisPB in Joao Pessoa, the capital of the northeastern state of Paraiba, that any businessperson with investments in the South American country must abide by its laws.
"Any citizen, from any part of the world, who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and Brazilian laws. Therefore, if the Supreme Court has issued a ruling for citizens to comply with certain measures, they must comply or seek an alternative course of action," he said.
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"Just because someone owns a lot of money doesn't mean they can be disrespectful. He's an American citizen, not a citizen of the world. He can't go around insulting presidents, deputies, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Supreme Court," Lula added.
