Elon Musk’s fight with Brazilian judges has been quite the saga, but he’s backing down to restore X and SpaceX in Brazil.
The controversy started initially when Musk refused to appoint a representative to face the Brazilian judiciary which spiked conflict between the Caucasian billionaire and the Brazilian judges as he continued failing to comply with a judge’s social media policy schemed to curtail spreading misinformation and promoting hate speech leading to X being blocked in the country.
This move was part of a larger feud between Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation. The verbal beef between Moraes and Musk started via X after Musk threw tantrums on the Brazilian judiciary system.
This led both parties to brawl publicly whereby Musk abused his veto power as X CEO to lead a campaign of tweeters that threw tantrums and misinformed the rest of the public about the Brazilian judiciary and its ill judiciary system. At the same time, Moraes’ retaliation sanctioned Musk’s X and Starlink from operating in the country.
Musk’s refusal to comply with the order resulted in a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using VPNs to access X. Additionally, the Brazilian assets of Musk’s company Starlink were frozen, preventing it from doing any transactions in the country.
However, it seems Musk has had a change of heart. To resolve the issue, Musk will likely need to appoint a legal representative in Brazil and comply with the court’s orders to block specific accounts linked to misinformation and hate speech. This would be a significant step back from his previous stance as a “free speech absolutist”.
The blocking of X affected millions of Brazilians, with around 40 million users accessing the platform at least once a month. The ban also had implications for Musk’s Starlink internet service, which has over 250,000 customers in Brazil.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time X (formerly Twitter) has faced bans or suspensions in various countries, including Russia, China, Iran, and others. However, Musk’s decision to back down in Brazil may set a precedent for his approach to similar conflicts.
