Thank you for reading LatinNews' chosen article from the LatinNews Daily - 2 September 2024
On 30 August, supreme court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the social media network X in Brazil, after the company owned by Elon Musk ignored a court order to appoint a legal representative to the country.?
The shutdown in Brazil of the social media platform previously known as Twitter began over the weekend. It marks the culmination of tensions between Musk, a self-declared free-speech absolutist who is admired by the followers of Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023), and de Moraes, a judge whom supporters see as an important defender of democracy but who is frequently criticised for his decisions, which some slam as high-handed and biased against bolsonaristas.?
- After X shuttered its Brazil offices earlier in August and failed to meet a deadline to appoint a legal representative, as required by Brazilian law, de Moraes ordered the social network’s “immediate and complete suspension in all the national territory”. The judge’s decision also imposes a R$50,000 (US$8,910) daily fine on all individuals and businesses that try to circumvent the ban with “technological subterfuges” such as VPNs.?
- Although X is not as popular as other social networks in Brazil, the country is one of X’s biggest markets, with around 22m users. The platform went offline for millions of Brazilians from 31 August as the country’s three top internet providers began enforcing the suspension.?
- Satellite internet provider Starlink, also owned by Musk, has said it will not comply with the court order. Starlink provides internet to much of the Amazon, and was dragged into the spat after de Moraes blocked its accounts over X’s disregard for his orders, a move questioned by experts as they are two different companies.??????
- De Moraes’ decision has been roundly attacked by the far-right in Brazil, as well as by Musk himself. Even Brazilians who previously supported the crusading judge are unsure about the move to ban the social media platform. The STF chief justice, Luís Roberto Barroso, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have however defended de Moraes’ decision. “Just because [Musk] is a billionaire it does not mean that he is above the law,” Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told daily Folha de S. Paulo, echoing earlier comments by Lula.
Looking Ahead: The STF’s first chamber, a panel of five of the court’s 11 judges, is voting remotely today (2 September) on whether to uphold de Moraes’ individual ruling on the ban.
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6 个月Just because Musk is a billionaire doesn't mean he's above the law" ???? ????