Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has taken a bold stand against a decision made by a Supreme Court justice in Brazil, calling for the judge's resignation. Musk condemned the justice for what he perceives as a betrayal of Brazil's constitution and its people.
In a series of defiant posts on X, Musk announced that X would be lifting all restrictions imposed by Justice Alexandre de Moraes on certain undisclosed accounts in Brazil. Despite the judge's orders, Musk vowed to publish details of the order, accusing the justice of imposing fines, threatening arrests, and cutting off access to X in Brazil.
Musk asserted that principles matter more than profit and pledged to legally challenge the order wherever possible. However, Brazil's solicitor general, Jorge Messias, criticized Musk's actions, advocating for stricter regulation of social media networks to prevent foreign platforms from flouting Brazilian laws.
X Corporation released a statement revealing that it had been compelled by court decisions to block specific accounts in Brazil and was forbidden from disclosing details of the order or the issuing judge. Musk condemned the blocking order as unconstitutional, affirming the Brazilian people's right to freedom of speech, due process, and transparency from their authorities.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refrained from commenting on the matter, while Justice Moraes, who is spearheading an investigation into an alleged coup attempt by former President Jair Bolsonaro, has a history of actively combating online misinformation in Brazil. Moraes had previously ordered investigations into executives at social messaging platform Telegram and Google for their roles in criticizing proposed internet regulation legislation.
The bill, aimed at holding internet companies accountable for illegal content and imposing hefty fines for non-compliance, has sparked contentious debates over online freedom and regulation in Brazil.