A suspension of Elon Musk’s X social network in Brazil began early Saturday after a Supreme Court judge’s order, AFP reported.
Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes had ordered the platform’s suspension on Friday due to a prolonged dispute with the tech billionaire over misinformation in Brazil.
Moraes made the decision after Musk did not follow an order to appoint a new legal representative for the company.
By early Saturday, some users in Brazil found they could no longer access X, previously known as Twitter. They saw a message asking them to reload the browser, but they couldn’t log in.
Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, reacted angrily to the judge’s order. He called Moraes an “evil dictator pretending to be a judge” and accused him of “trying to destroy democracy in Brazil.”
Musk, who has been leaning towards right-wing politics, criticized the judge on X, saying, “Free speech is essential for democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political reasons.”
Elon Musk-Moraes Feud Escalates As Brazil Orders X Suspension
Musk and Moraes have been in a high-profile feud for months, with Moraes leading efforts against disinformation in Brazil.
Musk has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” but since he took over the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, he has been accused of using it to spread right-wing conspiracy theories.
Musk is also a strong supporter of former US President Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House.
Moraes ordered X to be immediately and completely suspended in Brazil and instructed the national communications agency to enforce the ban within 24 hours.
He warned that anyone using methods like VPNs to bypass the block would face a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900).
The judge also asked Google, Apple, and internet providers to block access to the X app and website. However, he later retracted this part of the order.
The social media platform has over 22 million users in Brazil. Earlier this month, Musk stopped X’s business operations in Brazil, alleging that Moraes had threatened the company’s former legal representative with arrest to enforce “censorship orders.”
On Wednesday, Moraes gave Musk 24 hours to appoint a new representative or face suspension. After the deadline passed, X issued a statement saying it expected Moraes to shut it down “because we refused to follow his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”
