Brazil’s Supreme Court has endorsed the ban on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter. The judicial panel reached a unanimous decision to maintain the prohibition.
Since Saturday morning, X has been inaccessible in Brazil due to its failure to designate a new legal representative within the timeframe set by the court.
This is a recent chapter in the ongoing dispute between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and X’s owner, Elon Musk, which began in April with the judge’s suspension of several accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.
Justice Moraes urged the five-member panel to deliberate on this suspension, which has stirred controversy across Brazil.
Justice Flávio Dino commented, “Freedom of expression is closely linked to a duty of responsibility.” He added, “The first can’t exist without the second, and vice versa.”
Elon Musk responded to the ban by stating, “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”
In his decision, Justice Moraes directed tech giants Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores and to prohibit its operation on iOS and Android platforms within five days.
He also noted that fines of R$50,000 ($8,910) could be imposed on those found accessing X through virtual private networks (VPNs).
Last month, X shut down its Brazilian operations, claiming that its representative faced arrest threats for non-compliance with what it described as “illegal censorship” under Brazilian law.
Justice Moraes mandated the blocking of X accounts known for disseminating false information, many of which belong to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, pending investigation.
Brazil is recognized as one of the key markets for Musk’s social media network. With X being blocked, many in Brazil have shifted to using the microblogging platform Bluesky.
Bluesky reported a surge of half a million new users from Brazil in just the past two days.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been directing his followers to his Bluesky account, recently sharing links to his other social media profiles.
At the top of his list was his Bluesky profile, followed by links to his Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, TikTok, and Facebook accounts.
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber celebrated the influx of new users with a bilingual post, exclaiming, “Good job Brazil, you made the right choice.”
