Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak during a meeting in Porto Feliz, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, May 20, 2022.
Kenny Oliveira | Mcom | Via Reuters
The order comes after Musk posted a threat to publicly defy the X account, which currently has 180.2 million followers.
A defiant Musk wrote on Saturday in response to a previous court order: “We will lift all restrictions. This judge has threatened to impose huge fines, arrest our employees and cut off access to Brazil. As a result, we will probably lose all our revenue. “We have to close our offices in Brazil. But principles are more important than profits.”
By Sunday, Mr. Musk had further provoked Brazil's Supreme Court, calling for the resignation or impeachment of Judge Moraes, who decided on the order. Musk also made baseless claims that the judge violated Brazilian law.
On Sunday, the tech billionaire also threatened to release internal X information that would paint Mr. Moraes as a traitor to his country.
He wrote, “Soon we will be publishing everything requested.” [Alexandre de Moraes] and how those demands violate Brazilian law. This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed Brazil's Constitution and its people. He should resign or be impeached.shame [Alexandre de Moraes], Shame. “
Moraes has long supported regulations to curb harmful content and misinformation online in Brazil. He faces backlash from a range of groups, including technology companies, far-right domestic officials and former President Bolsonaro.
Brazil's Jair gestures as he arrives at a hotel to attend a press conference on the Amazon rainforest and meet with Elon Musk, May 20, 2022, in Porto Feliz, São Paulo state, Brazil, according to ministers. -President Bolsonaro.
Amanda Perobelli | Reuters
With a population of over 215 million in 2023, Brazil will be the second most populous country in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. Mr. Musk's vocal opposition to Mr. Moraes comes in a year of local elections in the country, where voters are scheduled to go to the polls in October.
Like Americans, Brazilian voters are deeply divided over politics. The country also experienced similar volatile political violence on January 6, 2021 during the most recent transfer of power.
On January 8, 2023, supporters of Brazil's ousted far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, denouncing a “stolen” election, invaded and vandalized government buildings, destroying elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da – Called for military intervention to remove President Silva from office.
Bolsonaro is currently under investigation on suspicion of plotting a coup and falsifying records, among other crimes in his home country.
Musk, who is CTO and owner of They reportedly discussed using the space company's satellite internet service. Amazon.
SpaceX first received permission to launch a satellite internet service called Starlink in Brazil during the Bolsonaro era, and the service is now widely used throughout Brazil.
During a meeting in May 2022, Bolsonaro opined about Tesla executives' plans to take over Twitter as a “breath of hope.”
X and other social networks face increasing regulatory pressure around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, the European Union, India, and Turkey.
According to the filing, the court will fine Musk and the company 100,000 reais (approximately $20,000) per day if X reinstates the account in defiance of Brazil's Supreme Court order. Those involved will also be held liable in Brazil for failing to comply with court orders.
“Social networks are not lawless zones!” Moraes wrote in his ruling. He said Musk's comments show that X protects those who promote criminal acts against Brazil's democracy.
“In theory, 'X's' conduct not only amounts to an abuse of economic power in an attempt to illegally influence public opinion, but also a blatant attempt to sustain the various criminal activities carried out by the digital paramilitary group under investigation. “It also constitutes inducing and inciting,” the judge wrote. Go to Correio Brasilense.
Musk's company X was fined for breaching Australia's e-safety regulations. Company X is also the subject of an investigation by the European Union under the relatively new Digital Services Act. The Digital Services Act is a set of laws aimed at holding tech companies accountable for inciting terrorism, hate speech, child exploitation and other harmful content on their platforms.
Free speech advocates say such regulations, designed to curb online harm and protect users' data and privacy, are all too easily abused by government officials to exploit activists and They are concerned that it could be used to target or silence academics, researchers and other people seen as enemies. Dissident.
Although Musk has characterized himself as a free speech absolutist, his track record has been highly inconsistent.
When Musk took over Twitter, he cut content moderation and trust and safety employees, relaxed company policies and reinstated accounts that had been banned under his previous management.
For example, Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump's account after previous management permanently banned it in January 2021. (The ban came in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.) Confused. )
Musk's Tesla, meanwhile, has long required employees and customers to sign strict confidentiality and mandatory arbitration agreements that intentionally limit free speech. SpaceX said employees were fired in retaliation for writing an open letter criticizing Musk in 2022.
Then, in February, X deleted its account and posts related to the ongoing farmer protests in India at the behest of the Indian government.
X did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Sunday.
This is a story in development. Please check the latest information.
