Brazil’s Supreme Court upholds ban on social network X

On 2 September, Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld the suspension of social network X, ending access to the platform in the country. The decision comes after the platform, owned by Elon Musk, persisted in its refusal to comply with several court orders. The network was blocked in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes accused Elon Musk of flouting Brazilian law, claiming that the platform was positioning itself as a supranational entity, above local laws. The suspension follows a series of violations of court rulings relating to the fight against disinformation, including the reinstatement of accounts suspended by the Brazilian judiciary. Moraes had previously given the platform 24 hours to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, an ultimatum that was not respected.

In response, Elon Musk denounced what he saw as an attack on freedom of expression, while judge Flavio Dino stressed that this freedom could not justify repeated violations of the legal system. The ban comes just over a month before the municipal elections in Brazil, where Elon Musk’s role and influence are at the heart of the political debate. The X network has around 22 million users in Brazil, according to data from DataReportal.