The Brazilian Supreme Court has long been surprising the nation with its dealings involving “X,” a social network widely used around the world. In the final turn of this international controversy, STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes decreed, two weeks ago, on the 30th of August, the ban of the former Twitter.
However, the Justice’s decision is only the latest chapter in an ongoing series of events between the platform and the Brazilian judiciary. So, let’s understand this international controversy from the beginning!
Elon Musk buys the platform, making policy changes
The story begins in 2022 when South African billionaire Elon Musk acquired the platform and transformed its content moderation policies. One of the most notable changes was the relaxation of moderation policies regarding hate speech and incitement to violence.
During this period, one of Musk’s most controversial moves was reinstating former U.S. President Donald Trump’s account, who had been banned for inciting violence among his supporters.
X implicated in STF investigations
The former Twitter became involved in several investigations led by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Some investigations concerned the deliberate spread of false information, digital militias, and acts against Brazilian democracy.
Moraes, who’s also responsible for investigations into the January 8th attack, ordered the suspension of various profiles on social media, especially on X. These actions prompted Musk to publicly criticize Brazilian institutions.
Musk and digital militias
Musk’s attacks on Moraes and the judiciary eventually led to the billionaire being added to the list of individuals under investigation in the digital militias probe in April of this year. In this context, various users and right-wing politicians supported what came to be known as “Twitter Files Brazil,” a movement that disclosed communications from former company employees questioning Brazilian court orders.
The documents were made public out of context and ignored investigations into organized groups spreading misinformation and threatening Brazilian democracy.
Musk shuts down office in Brazil
As a consequence of these controversies, and due to Musk’s dissatisfaction with Moraes’ rulings, the billionaire announced the closure of the company’s office and the end of its operations in Brazil, claiming threats and censorship by the justice.
New noncompliance and account bans
After announcing the end of operations in Brazil, Moraes gave X a 24-hour deadline to appoint a new representative for the platform. If the order wasn’t complied with, the suspension of X would be enforced throughout Brazil.
On Thursday, August 29th, X announced that it would not comply with the order and would wait for the platform to be blocked at any moment. As a result, Moraes decreed the suspension on Friday, with the block beginning on Saturday.
Therefore, the justice also ordered the freezing of Starlink’s bank accounts, a company owned by Elon Musk, for the payment of fines related to X. According to data from the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), Starlink has at least 215,000 customers in Brazil, including the Brazilian Armed Forces and public schools.
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The article above was edited by Ludmila Costa.
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