BRASILIA – The Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered the blockage of microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after Elon Musk refused to comply with court orders to suspend certain accounts. This development represents a significant challenge to Musk’s goal of making the platform a bastion of unrestricted speech.
The court’s decision came in response to Musk’s recent closure of X’s Brazilian office, which had been the target of threats of arrest from Justice Moraes for failing to adhere to directives concerning the removal of accounts that violated Brazilian laws. The ruling was also influenced by X’s lack of a local office in Brazil.
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In response, X has criticized the court’s orders as unlawful and plans to make them public. Musk contends that these actions undermine free speech for political reasons. Additionally, Moraes has frozen the assets of SpaceX’s Starlink service in Brazil to enforce a $3 million fine against X. Starlink, which has over 250,000 users in Brazil, is considering challenging this order and may even offer its services for free in the country if necessary.
X Blocked in Pakistan
In February 2024, Pakistan also imposed a block on X, citing national security concerns and the need to prevent disorder during the elections. This action followed PTI party calls for protests over alleged electoral fraud. Critics argue that the ban is an attempt to suppress dissent.
The Sindh High Court has mandated the restoration of access within a week, but the availability of the platform remains inconsistent. The restrictions are creating significant communication difficulties for political parties, companies, and users who rely heavily on social media.
