Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Launches Inquiry Into Elon Musk
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has taken action against Elon Musk after the billionaire announced plans to reactivate accounts on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the judge had previously ordered to be blocked.
Musk boldly declared on the platform that the restrictions had been lifted due to the court order being deemed unconstitutional.
He further escalated the situation by calling for Justice Alexandre de Moraes to either resign or face impeachment.
If X does not comply with the order, it faces a daily fine of 100,000 reais ($19,774; £15,670).
Justice Moraes justified his decision by accusing Musk of spearheading a disinformation campaign against the Supreme Court.
Although the platform’s Global Government Affairs team refrained from disclosing which accounts were impacted, Musk later vowed that X would expose all demands made by Moraes and highlight how those requests violate Brazilian law.
The targeted profiles are suspected to have ties to far-right movements that shared content related to the riots on 8 January last year, when supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace.
Justice Moraes, known for his firm stance on social media restrictions, is also probing Bolsonaro and his allies for their alleged involvement in a coup attempt.
In a surprising turn of events, Bolsonaro shared a video of a meeting he had with Musk in May 2022 just hours before calling on his supporters to gather on 21 April.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s communication minister Paulo Pimenta condemned Musk’s actions, emphasizing that “social networks are not a lawless land” and affirming that no one, regardless of wealth or influence, will disrespect their homeland.
Should X choose to defy the order, the platform risks being temporarily blocked, as warned by Bruna Santos, the global campaigns manager at nonprofit organization Digital Action.
“Musk’s actions were clearly aimed at provoking the Brazilian judiciary,” she stated. “There is a real possibility that X may face a temporary block.” — BBC
