On Monday, a panel of five Brazilian Supreme Court justices upheld a decision to restrict access to X, formerly known as Twitter. This ruling follows Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s order from Friday, which was made in response to X owner Elon Musk’s failure to follow court directives. These directives required X to block certain accounts and appoint a legal representative in Brazil. The decision has now received backing from four additional justices.
Support and reservations from justices
According to Poder360 and O Globo reports, three justices—Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino, and Cármen Lúcia—fully endorsed de Moraes’s decision. However, Luiz Fux, another justice, expressed concerns regarding a proposed fine for those using a VPN to bypass the ban. Fux argued that only those posting criminal content, such as messages promoting Nazism or fascism, should face penalties.
Impact on users and compliance issues
The ban has led to a surge in new accounts on competing platforms among Brazilian users. Poder360 has indicated that their X account will now be managed exclusively from Portugal to comply with the court’s ruling.
In a related development, Starlink has informed Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) that it will not adhere to the ban until the court lifts the freeze on its assets. Currently, X remains accessible via Starlink’s service. The New York Times reports that de Moraes has blocked Starlink from conducting transactions in Brazil while seeking to recover US$3 million in unpaid fines related to X. Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, which Musk partially owns.
The court’s order mandates that internet providers and app stores implement measures to block access to X within five days, with the deadline set for Wednesday, September 4th.
