Since his takeover, Musk has upended many of
The
In
WHAT ACCOUNTS HAS BRAZIL BLOCKED?
In
Neither Brazilian courts nor X have disclosed the list of accounts that have been ordered to stop publishing, but prominent supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and far-right activists no longer appear on the platform.
Some belong to a network known as “digital militias.” They were targeted by a five-year investigation overseen by de Moraes, initially for allegedly spreading defamatory fake news and threats against
WHO IS JUSTICE DE MORAES?
De Moraes is unmistakeable, with his bald head, athletic build and sweeping black robe. In his escalating attacks on the judge, Musk called him “Brazil's
Whether investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, banishing his far-right allies from social media, or ordering the arrest of supporters who stormed government buildings on
Days after a mob stormed Brazil’s capital, de Moraes ordered Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, TikTok and Instagram to block the accounts of individuals accused of inciting or supporting attacks on Brazilian democratic order.
HOW DID FREE SPEECH BECOME A CAUSE FOR BRAZIL'S FAR RIGHT?
Brazil’s political right has long characterized de Moraes as muzzling free speech and engaging in political persecution. Lawmakers from Bolsonaro’s circle have been imprisoned and his supporters’ homes raided.
Bolsonaro himself became a target of the digital militias investigation in 2021. That was partly because he was casting unfounded doubt on
WHAT'S MUSK'S ROLE?
Far-right X users have been trying to involve Musk in Brazilian politics for years, said
“They often tag him, asking him to take a stand on Moraes,” she said.
On Saturday, he did, republishing a post from X’s Global Government Affairs, tagging de Moraes and writing: “Why are you doing this @alexandre?”
Musk posted Saturday that reinstating the accounts — most of which apparently are blocked only in
In his decision to investigate Musk, de Moraes accused him of waging a public “disinformation campaign” about the top court’s actions.
IS MUSK A ‘FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTIST’?
While Musk has railed against what he perceives as the censorship of certain viewpoints by
Musk had accused the journalists in late 2022 of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim, though earlier Musk decided to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by X against the non-profit
X had argued the center’s researchers violated the site’s terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets, and that its subsequent reports on the rise of hate speech cost X millions of dollars when advertisers fled.
But
HOW BIG IS X IN BRAZIL?
X’s legal representatives in
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
That depends on Musk and X’s actions. If they reinstate the accounts in
“The fines could escalate, eventually leading to the platform’s suspension. But this is always the last measure, as it harms other users in Brazil,” said
Regarding Musk — a foreign citizen with a company based in the
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Ortutay reported from
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This story has been corrected to reflect that free speech is a constitutional right in
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