Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered a nationwide block of the social media platform X, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk. This move follows the micro-blogging platform's refusal to appoint a legal representative in the country. The ruling was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and comes amid escalating tensions between X and Brazilian authorities over the platform's compliance with court orders.

Justice de Moraes had previously set a 24-hour deadline for X to appoint a representative in Brazil, but the company failed to meet this requirement. X shut down its Brazilian office on August 17, citing threats to detain its former legal representative. This action has led to a legal standoff with de Moraes, who has accused X of attempting to undermine Brazil's legal system.

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court has also imposed a hefty fine of 18 million reais (approximately $3.2 million) on X for non-compliance. This is due to platform's failure to remove profiles that promote coup-related content or undermine democracy, as mandated by previous court orders.

Justice de Moraes accused the platform of trying to create a "lawless zone" on social media, facilitating extremist activities and spreading harmful, anti-democratic speech. 

"X has enabled the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, spreading Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic content," de Moraes said as Brazil approaches its 2024 municipal elections.

Implementation of the ban

To enforce the ruling, Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has been instructed to block access to X within 24 hours. In addition, Apple and Google have been given five days to remove the X app from their respective online stores. The court also imposed a daily fine of 50,000 reais (about $10,000) on individuals or companies that attempt to bypass the ban using methods such as virtual private networks (VPNs).

Musk calls it threat to free speech

Elon Musk has responded to the court's decision and said that free speech is under threat worldwide. He criticized the Brazilian government, describing it as an "oppressive regime" afraid of its citizens gaining access to the truth. Musk also urged his followers to use the platform via X.com and to consider using VPNs to circumvent the ban despite the court's order against it.

"Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes," Musk asserted.

Brazil's decision to block X could set a precedent for similar actions worldwide, raising questions about the balance between freedom of speech and the enforcement of national laws.