Brazil persuades Musk's X to make a change
Elon Musk's social media platform has pledged to adhere to the orders of Brazil's Supreme Court following its ban due to a failure to manage "disinformation." Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The social media platform X faced a nationwide shutdown in Brazil for nearly three weeks due to its failure to censor accounts spreading “disinformation.”
In an effort to reverse this ban, issued by the country’s Supreme Court last month, X is now working to meet the demands set forth by Brazilian authorities. The platform has remained inaccessible to users in Brazil, and using a VPN to access it carries a penalty of nearly $9,000. This situation arose after Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban because X did not censor accounts that “spread disinformation.”
Elon Musk, the owner of the platform and a staunch proponent of free speech, had initially refused to comply with the orders, criticizing them as an attempt to silence voices on his platform. He labeled de Moraes as “an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”
However, X’s legal team announced on Friday that the platform has begun to take measures to align with the Brazilian court’s requirements in hopes of lifting the ban. These measures involve settling the outstanding fines, blocking the accounts flagged by de Moraes for disseminating misinformation and jeopardizing Brazilian democracy, and appointing a legal representative in the country.
Brazilian law mandates that foreign companies have a local representative accountable for legal matters. X previously had a representative until mid-August when the company decided to close its offices and lay off its staff in Brazil. This decision followed Musk’s claims that de Moraes threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative if X did not comply with court orders.
On Saturday, Brazil’s Supreme Court acknowledged the actions taken by X and granted the company five days to complete the necessary paperwork for its new legal representative. The court also reiterated its directives to block accounts previously identified in a probe concerning hate speech and misinformation, as well as to pay fines exceeding $3 million. The specifics of the targeted accounts remain confidential due to the nature of the investigation.
The conflict between Musk and Brazilian authorities began in April when de Moraes ordered X to remove the accounts of several supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, referring to them as “digital militants” spreading “disinformation” about the justice and himself. Musk resisted, claiming that such actions would violate Brazilian laws.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
In an effort to reverse this ban, issued by the country’s Supreme Court last month, X is now working to meet the demands set forth by Brazilian authorities. The platform has remained inaccessible to users in Brazil, and using a VPN to access it carries a penalty of nearly $9,000. This situation arose after Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban because X did not censor accounts that “spread disinformation.”
Elon Musk, the owner of the platform and a staunch proponent of free speech, had initially refused to comply with the orders, criticizing them as an attempt to silence voices on his platform. He labeled de Moraes as “an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”
However, X’s legal team announced on Friday that the platform has begun to take measures to align with the Brazilian court’s requirements in hopes of lifting the ban. These measures involve settling the outstanding fines, blocking the accounts flagged by de Moraes for disseminating misinformation and jeopardizing Brazilian democracy, and appointing a legal representative in the country.
Brazilian law mandates that foreign companies have a local representative accountable for legal matters. X previously had a representative until mid-August when the company decided to close its offices and lay off its staff in Brazil. This decision followed Musk’s claims that de Moraes threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative if X did not comply with court orders.
On Saturday, Brazil’s Supreme Court acknowledged the actions taken by X and granted the company five days to complete the necessary paperwork for its new legal representative. The court also reiterated its directives to block accounts previously identified in a probe concerning hate speech and misinformation, as well as to pay fines exceeding $3 million. The specifics of the targeted accounts remain confidential due to the nature of the investigation.
The conflict between Musk and Brazilian authorities began in April when de Moraes ordered X to remove the accounts of several supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, referring to them as “digital militants” spreading “disinformation” about the justice and himself. Musk resisted, claiming that such actions would violate Brazilian laws.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
