Brazil’s attorney general has called for social media platforms in the country to be regulated after Elon Musk threatened to disobey a court order banning certain accounts on X and lashed out against “aggressive censorship.” In a post on X Sunday, Attorney General Jorge Messias wrote: “It is urgent to regulate social networks.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes announced Sunday that he would open an inquiry into the billionaire businessman who owns X.
On Saturday, X’s global government affairs team posted that it had been “forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil” and threatened with “daily fines” for non-compliance.
“We do not know which posts are alleged to violate the law.
We are prohibited from saying which court or judge issued the order, or on what grounds,” they wrote.
They do not believe the orders are constitutional and will challenge them legally where possible, they added.
Musk suggested that Moraes was behind the ban, writing Sunday on X that the judge had “brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil.
“As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.
As Elon Musk blasted against “aggressive censorship” and threatened to defy a court order banning specific accounts on X, Brazil’s attorney general demanded that social media platforms be regulated in the nation. “.
Lawyer General Jorge Messias stated on X Sunday that social media regulation is urgently needed. Our society cannot tolerate a situation where foreign-domiciled billionaires dominate social media and have the ability to flout legal requirements, disobey court orders, and pose a threat to law enforcement. “.
Musk’s disobedience was deemed a “flagrant” obstruction of justice by Brazil’s Supreme Court, which issued a statement recommending that the police look into him. Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court declared on Sunday that he would launch an investigation into the billionaire businessman who is the owner of X.
This standoff represents the most recent conflict between international authorities and Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist” who, since purchasing the company that was once known as Twitter in 2022, has eased X’s content moderation guidelines and restored several previously blocked accounts.
A left-wing Brazilian lawmaker named Orlando Silva announced that he would put forth a “responsibilities regime for these digital platforms.”. He wrote on X, “We have reached the limit!” and said that Musk had disregarded the courts.
After being “forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil,” X’s global government affairs team announced on Saturday that non-compliance would face “daily fines.”.
“We are unaware of the specific posts that are allegedly breaking the law. We are not allowed to disclose the name of the court or judge that issued the order or the reasons behind it,” they wrote. They continued, saying they don’t think the orders are constitutional and will fight them in court if necessary.
The accounts were ordered to be blocked by the Supreme Court as part of its ongoing investigation into “digital militias,” which includes examining the propagation of false information and incitement to crime during the administration of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Many people believe that social media played a role in the riots that occurred in Brazil on January 8, 2018, when hundreds of demonstrators broke into federal government buildings in the country’s capital, Brasilia, evoking images of the January 6, 2021, uprising in the United States.
By writing on Sunday on X that the judge had “brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil,” Musk implied that Moraes was the reason for the ban. Either resign or face impeachment. “.
He described the court’s decision to block the accounts as “aggressive censorship” that “appears to violate the law and will of the people of Brazil” in a different post on Saturday. “X would disregard the court’s ruling and remove all limitations,” he declared.
We will therefore most likely lose all of our revenue in Brazil and be forced to close our office there. However, values are more important than money, he said.
