Brazil bans ‘X’ for failure to appoint new legal representative

New Delhi, Aug 31: Brazil’s ongoing battle with tech giants has escalated as the country banned X, formerly known as Twitter, for failing to meet a court-mandated deadline to appoint a new legal representative.

The suspension, ordered by Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, marks yet another chapter in the global struggle between technology companies and political authorities over controlling information and free speech.

The dispute dates back to April when Justice de Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of spreading disinformation. X, owned by Elon Musk, has refused to comply with these orders, leading to increasing tensions.

Musk, a vocal advocate for free speech, has condemned the judge’s actions, claiming that “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”

This confrontation is not Musk’s first; he has previously clashed with the European Union over the regulation of X and recently engaged in a public spat with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The current situation in Brazil, however, could have more immediate consequences. According to Brazil’s telecommunications agency, the platform is expected to be taken offline within the next 24 hours, following the court’s orders as reported by the International media.

Justice de Moraes has given tech companies like Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores and to block its use on iOS and Android devices.

Failure to comply could result in heavy fines for those attempting to access the platform through alternative means such as VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

The ban will remain in effect until X appoints a new legal representative in Brazil and pays the fines for its violations. X has publicly resisted these demands, stating, “We expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes will order X to be shut down in Brazil – simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents,” as reported by the BBC.

This conflict is part of a broader struggle between Justice de Moraes and X, which has been simmering for some time. The judge’s aggressive stance on social media regulation has earned him both praise and criticism, particularly as he investigates former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters for their alleged involvement in an attempted coup on January 8th of the previous year.

In a related development, the bank accounts of Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, have been frozen in Brazil by order of the Supreme Court.

Brazil is no stranger to confrontations with social media platforms. In 2022, Telegram faced a temporary ban for its failure to block certain profiles as requested by authorities. Similarly, Meta’s messaging service WhatsApp was temporarily banned in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to comply with police requests for user data.

The ongoing conflict between tech companies and political authorities in Brazil highlights the growing tension between the principles of free speech and the demands of governance.

As these battles continue to unfold, they raise critical questions about the role of technology in shaping political discourse and the extent to which governments can or should regulate the flow of information.