Brazil orders blocking of X (Twitter)

The threat has finally become reality. Judge Alexandre de Moraes, a member of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF), ordered a “complete and immediate” blocking of X (Twitter) in the countryThe decision was made after Elon Musk’s social network refused to appoint a new legal representative of the company in Brazil.

As stated in the announcement, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency must take all necessary measures to prevent the platform from operating. At the same time, orders were also sent to Apple and Google not only to remove X (Twitter) from the App Store and Play Store, but also block your apps from running on iOS and Androidrespectively.

Judge Moraes, with whom Elon Musk has a public feud, gave X (Twitter) an ultimatum on Wednesday night. The magistrate gave the social network 24 hours to appoint a new representative in Brazil, or face permanent suspension if they do not comply. However, the platform has made it clear that it has no plans to comply.

Why Brazil Ordered X Blocked (Twitter)

On Thursday evening, the X Global Government Relations Twitter account posted a statement warning that a court blockade was imminent. “Judge Alexander de Moraes will soon rule to close the court after Musk’s signature.

“The main issue at stake is that Judge Moraes is asking us to violate Brazil’s own laws. We simply will not do so. In the coming days, we will publish all of the judge’s illegal demands and all relevant court documents for the sake of transparency.” Unlike other social media and tech platforms, we will not carry out illegal orders in secret, X (Twitter) added.

This Friday, Elon Musk He made several publications against the judge of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. He defined him as “an evil dictator disguised as a judge” and even compared him to Lord Voldemort in several images, starting with Harry Potter.

A feud that lasted for several months

X (Twitter) Blocking Happens After confrontation for several months with Brazil’s judicial authorities. Last April, the social network said the Supreme Federal Court had forced it to block “some popular accounts” in the country, without giving reasons or warning those affected.

Although X (Twitter) initially implemented the block, the decision was reversed a few hours later at the behest of Elon Musk. The tycoon publicly accused Judge de Moraes of “blatantly and repeatedly betraying” the Brazilian constitution. Not only that, but he also urged users to use a VPN in case any block against the platform was implemented.

In the Supreme Federal Court, they argued that the request to freeze the accounts was made within the framework of investigation into digital militias. According to the Brazilian justice system, the blocked profiles belonged to “criminals who spread false news” and that they were directly linked to the attack on the Plaza de los Tres Poderes in Brasilia in early 2023.

On August 17, the official resigned from her position and Musk’s company closed its offices in the South American country as a protest measure. It was after this that the STF gave the company 24 hours to appoint a new representative or face a complete block.

The Federal Supreme Court says it has given X (Twitter) time and opportunity to comply with its obligations. The blockade will continue until the platform complies with the court orders, pays fines and appoints a representative in the country. They also found daily fine of R$50,000 – around 8,000 euros – to all people or companies that use “technological tricks” to avoid suspension.