Brazil’s Supreme Court upholds ban on Elon Musk’s X unanimously

Brazil's Supreme Court has unanimously upheld a ban on Elon Musk's social media platform, X, which was initially imposed by Justice Alexandre de Moraes last week. The ban was enacted after X missed a court-imposed deadline to designate a legal representative in Brazil, as per Assoon September 3

On Monday, all five Supreme Court justices reviewed and confirmed the ban. Justice Flavio Dino, along with Justice Cristiano Zanin, emphasized that companies operating in a country must adhere to local laws, and a failure to comply with court decisions undermines the rule of law. Justices Carmen Lucia and Luiz Fux also supported the ruling, making it a unanimous decision.

The suspension has also proceeded to set up a showdown between de Moraes and Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink, which is refusing to enforce the justice's decision.

“He violated the constitution of Brazil repeatedly and egregiously, after swearing an oath to protect it,” Musk wrote in the hours before the vote, adding a flurry of insults and accusations in the wake of the panel's vote. On Sunday, Musk announced the creation of an X account to publish the justice’s sealed decisions that he said would show they violated Brazilian law.

The Supreme Court has directed telecom providers to block access to X, and the ban will remain until the platform meets the court’s demands and settles fines exceeding USD 3 million. Moraes's original ruling criticized Musk, labelling him an "outlaw" who promotes disinformation and undermines democratic processes.

Elon Musk, who acquired X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, has criticized the ban as censorship and called Justice Moraes a "dictator." Musk has faced scrutiny for changes to the platform, including reduced content moderation and controversial content on his personal feed.

Brazil's decision impacts one of X's largest markets, with around 40 million users in a country of 215 million. Violations of the ban could result in fines of up to 50,000 reais (USD 9,000) per day for using the platform through encrypted connections.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed support for the Supreme Court's decision, stating it sends a clear message about upholding legal standards.

(With inputs from agencies)