X began to go dark across Brazil after judge’s order

X began to go dark across Brazil on Saturday after the nation’s Supreme Court blocked the social network because its owner, Elon Musk, refused to comply with court orders

“(Following) repeated, conscious, and willful non-compliance with court orders and non-compliance with the daily fines imposed, in addition to the attempt to not submit to the Brazilian legal system and judiciary, to establish an environment of total impunity and ‘lawless land’ in Brazilian social networks, including during the 2024 municipal elections,” Justice Moraes stated in a press release.

The court emphasized that the platform has been a conduit for hateful and racist speech and has interfered with the country’s democratic processes.

On August 28, Moraes gave Musk 24 hours to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, warning that failure to do so would result in the suspension of X in the country.

Musk has not compiled with the order, so the Supreme Court has notified the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to disconnect the social network nationwide within 24 hours. Companies like Apple and Google have been given five days to remove the X app from their online stores.

“Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country,” de Moraes wrote in his decision on Friday.

The justice said the platform will stay suspended until it complies with his orders, and also set a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using VPNs to access it.

The social media platform has more than 22 million users in Brazil..

Source: Agencies

B.Q.