The Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) ratified the blocking of X (Twitter). imposed by Minister Alexandre de Moraes. The majority of the judges approved, unanimously, to maintain the suspension to the social network initiated on August 30. The ministers also voted in favor of fines of up to 8,000 euros for those who access X through a VPN.
According to the Folha de Sao Paulothree of the five magistrates that make up the First Class of the STF agreed to maintain the blocking of X. Justices Dino Flavio, Cristiano Zanin and Carmen Lucia supported Alexandre de Moraes’ decision to suspend the social network nationwide. The Twitter veto follows a months-long dispute between de Moraes and Elon Musk over the removal of extreme right-wing content.
According to de Moraes, Elon Musk not only violated Brazilian law, but disrespected it.. “Judicial order may be subject to appeal, but not to involuntary contempt. Compliance with court orders is an essential requirement of civility and a condition of the possibility of the rule of law,” he said in a report.
The magistrate added that. X has complied with hundreds of content removal orders on the social network in other countries. The most obvious example is the removal of links to a BBC documentary about Narendra Modi at the request of the Indian government. When questioned about the decision, Elon Musk stated that the rules on what is published on social networks are strict in that country, so they could not violate the law.
Elon Musk can’t be above the law, Brazil judges warn
One of Elon Musk’s favorite speeches has to do with censorship. The self-proclaimed “absolutist of freedom of expression” believes that technology companies should not veto users’ posts.regardless of the point of view. The problem is that this policy is enforced at the convenience of X’s boss.
“This arbitrary selectivity expands the reproach of business conduct, because it moves it away from the sphere of entrepreneurship and places it on the plane of pure politicking and demagoguery,” said Minister Dino Flavio. The STF magistrate criticized Elon Musk for not complying with Moraes’ request and accused him of believing himself above the rule of law.
For his part, Elon Musk said that X does not seek to impose U.S. laws on other countries. and that they respect local law. “The problem in Brazil is that Alexandre told us to violate Brazilian laws and that we would be sanctioned if we told anyone,” he mentioned.
The ministers also voted in favor of maintaining fines of 50,000 reais (€8,000). to anyone who uses a VPN to bypass the block. Musk and digital rights advocates warn that this is the first step toward authoritarianism. However, the judges point out that the right to freedom of expression is “umbilically linked” to duty and responsibility.
To lift the blockade, the STF requires Elon Musk to comply with the court orders, pay its fines and appoint a legal representative in Brazil.