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Social media platform X says it is moving to comply with demands issued by Brazil’s Supreme Court in hopes of reversing a nationwide ban ordered by Justice Alexandre de Moraes last month.
For nearly three weeks, X has been inaccessible to Brazilian users. Using a VPN to access the site carries the threat of a fine of almost $9,000. That’s after de Moraes, the country’s top judge, banned the platform for failing to censor accounts that “spread disinformation.”
The platform's owner Elon Musk, a vocal advocate of free speech, has until now refused to back down, describing de Moraes’ orders as an attempt to censor voices on his platform and calling the justice “an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”
However, on Friday, X’s legal representatives announced that the platform has taken steps to comply with the Brazilian court’s demands to help resolve the impasse and get the ban on the site lifted.
These steps include paying the fines X owes, blocking the accounts that de Moraes had previously accused of propagating misinformation and of undermining Brazilian democracy, and naming a legal representative in the country.
Under Brazilian law, in order to operate in the country, foreign companies are required to have a representative who would assume all the legal responsibilities of the firm locally. X had such a representative until mid-August when it decided to close its offices and fire all its staff in the country. That was after Musk claimed that de Moraes threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative if X did not adhere to court orders.
On Saturday, Brazil’s Supreme Court confirmed X’s moves and gave the company five days to file all the necessary paperwork validating its new legal representative. It also reiterated its orders to block the accounts that had previously been indicated in a probe into hate speech and misinformation, and to pay fines totalling over $3 million. It’s unclear which particular accounts have been targeted, as the probe is confidential.
The dispute between Musk and Brazilian authorities began in April when de Moraes ordered X to delete the accounts of several supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, calling them “digital militants” who spread “disinformation” about himself and the court. Musk refused, saying this would violate Brazilian laws.
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https://www.rt.com/business/604506-musk-caves-brazil-demands/
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I think ^this^ is old news.
Twitter Status in Brazil
Based on the search results, Twitter/X is currently accessible in Brazil despite being banned by a Supreme Court judge’s order. The platform has been circumventing the block by rerouting traffic through Cloudflare for requests originating from Brazil.
Previous Developments
Prior to this, Twitter/X was banned in Brazil after failing to meet a deadline to name a new legal representative in the country. The ban was enforced, and internet service providers were instructed to block access to the platform.
Recent Updates
However, on September 18, 2024, Twitter/X evaded the block by rerouting traffic through Cloudflare. Although Cloudflare initially allowed the traffic, it later agreed to isolate Twitter traffic, enabling Brazilian internet service providers to resume blocking traffic as of September 19, 2024.
Impact
The ban and subsequent circumvention have led to significant attention and controversy, with thousands protesting against the ban in São Paulo and Bluesky, a competitor to Twitter, gaining over one million new Brazilian users.
In summary, while Twitter/X was initially banned in Brazil, it is currently accessible again due to the rerouting of traffic through Cloudflare. However, the situation remains dynamic, and it’s unclear how long this workaround will remain effective.
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