A judge in Brazil ordered the ban of social media platform X after the company failed to meet a deadline set by the Supreme Court on an ongoing issue. In this article, we will delve into the details surrounding this case.
Reason behind the ban of X
According to the report, X, formerly Twitter, got suspended due to failure to appoint a new legal representative in the country responsible for managing legal matters of Brazilian laws. The judge, Alexandre de Moraes ordered the “immediate and complete suspension” of the platform until it adheres to court orders and pays existing fines.
X accounts linked to disinformation
The issue started in April when Justice Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts which were accused of spreading disinformation.
Regarding the ban, X head Musk argued that these orders violate free speech and described them as politically motivated and illegal under Brazilian law.
“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.” – Elon Musk
On the other hand, Moraes has instructed Apple and Google to remove Twitter (X) from their respective app stores immediately. He further added that individuals or businesses accessing the platform through VPNs face daily fines of R$50,000 (~USD 8900).
- Also, read
Twitter (X) closed its office in Brazil earlier this month, due to the threats of arrest for non-compliance. The company described the situation as censorship and illegal. However, as per the judge’s order, the ban on X will be in effect until the company appoints a new legal representative in the country and pays fines for violating Brazilian law.
From WhatsApp to X: Quite a history
Since about 10% of Brazil’s 200 million population uses this social media platform, the ban on X could somehow impact the company. Nevertheless, X is not the only social media company to experience pressure from Brazilian authorities. Last year, Telegram was temporarily banned for not complying with requests to block certain profiles. Meta’s WhatsApp also experienced temporary bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to provide user data to law enforcement.
- Meanwhile, watch our Realme 13+ Review:
