Brasília, 2 September 2024 (TDI): The decision to sustain a rule that forbids the social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, will be decided by the Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday.
Justice Alexandre Moraes called for a vote after the country’s early Saturday morning suspension of the platform.
As X failed to designate a replacement attorney in Brazil by the period set by the court, the suspension was implemented.
Justice Moraes’ April order to suspend many accounts for allegedly disseminating false material sparked a disagreement between Elon Musk, the owner of X, and the judge.
Eleven justices, not including the chief justice, make up Brazil’s Supreme Court. They are split into two chambers, each with five members.
Any decision rendered by one of its judges may be upheld or overturned by these chambers through vote.
The first chamber, which is comprised of Justice Moraes, will examine his ban ruling.
Also read: Musk Should Face Sanctions, Arrest: ex-Twitter Chief
Mr. Musk reacted to the restriction by saying: “Free speech is the cornerstone of democracy and it is being destroyed for political reasons in Brazil by an unelected pseudo-judge.”
In his decision, Judge Moraes told businesses five days to take X out of their app stores and prohibit users from using it on iOS and Android smartphones. This included corporations like Apple and Google.
He added that utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X might result in fines of R$50,000 ($8,910; £6,780) for both individuals and companies.
In an attempt to comply with what it called “censorship,” which it claimed was against Brazilian law, X closed its office in Brazil last month, stating that its agent had received threats of arrest.
While they are being investigated, Justice Moraes had ordered the closure of X accounts that were allegedly distributing false information.
Many of these accounts were connected to followers of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro.
For Mr. Musk’s social media network, Brazil is regarded as one of the biggest markets.
