22 million users blocked from accessing X

In the modern world, nothing costs as much as freedom of speech; as countries across the globe struggle to define what´s fair, billionaire Tech Giant Elon Musk faces a suspension of his networks X and Starlink in Brazil, claimed nationally “unconstitutional” by President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva. 

22 million users blocked from accessing X in Brazil

President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva has been fighting to shut down X and Starlink for a while now, having ordered to freeze X in August, after the network owner, Elon Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts and dismissed the law which necessitated him choosing a legal representative of X in Brazil.

On September 13, Brazil´s Supreme Court issued the judge´s order, which urged the billionaire to pay €2,7 million in fines, and ordered that those using “technological subterfuges,” including VPNs (virtual private networks) to use the prohibited app could be fined up to €8,000.

Operating in Brazil since 2013, the social media platform X now has more than 22 million users in Brazil; Starlink, introduced in Brazil in 2022, so far has more than 250,000 clients. While Brazil´s President approved the ban, his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro called the judge, who issued the order a “dictator,” echoing Elon Musk´s frustration at the judgment.

Blocked from accessing X; free speech banned?

X, formerly Twitter, had faced controversial debates about freedom of speech and political influence even before Musk took the lead; in 2009, as Barack Obama became President, the subject of Iran was on every citizen´s mind, causing anti-government protests on social media. The Obama administration had then asked Twitter to allow these protests, aiming to maintain the right to free speech, as promised by the US Constitution.

While Musk is not known for being a fan of the current US government, he may be merely following the US policy agenda on free speech and social media, setting standards that differ from Brazil. Banned in Pakistan since national elections, in Venezuela following demonstrations, and in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, Musk´s X has been slowly losing its grasp on countries with governments unlike the US, in which national leaders strive to be in charge of social media content; arguably, rightfully so.

The X owner´s public reaction to the judge´s statement was filled with fury; Musk referred to the judge Alexandre de Moraes as an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge,” accusing him of “trying to destroy democracy in Brazil.”

Blocked from accessing X; who´s to judge?

“What is considered ´free speech´ in your country, doesn´t mean it is a universal law. Hate speech, including Nazism, racism, homophobia…are crimes for the Brazilian Constitution. Brazil´s legal system does not believe that freedom of speech has no boundaries, the law understands that your freedom ends when it starts to hurt the freedom of others,” commented social media user Sofiapettala6747 about Musk´s desire to control Brazil´s regulations.

Since the judge´s verdict, X and Starlink have not been entirely banned but only frozen, until Musk complies with Brazilian law, naming a new legal representative of the social media platforms for Brazil. “All foreign companies doing business in Brazil are obliged to have legal representatives,” is the law in place, which Musk regardless of his ambitious ´free speech´ goals, has violated.

“Elon Musk is not a representative elected by the Brazilian population to act in the parliament…to say what or what is not constitutional in the country,” said Vinicius de Carvalho from King´s College London. Social media users from Brazil, similarly argued that it is not Musk´s place to make laws in a foreign country.

Vinicius de Carvalho also referred to Musk as “attention-seeking,” emphasising that for the American billionaire, all publicity is good publicity and monetization cannot be divided from the discourse on freedom.

“Brazil won´t be that last country to seek accountability or to put up guardrails,” said Marietje Schaake, the international policy director at Stanford University´s Cyber Policy Center, highlighting the loss of control which the US now faces over foreign countries, reflected in the mirror of social media.