- Brazil court to vote on ban of social media site X
- The vote was called by Justice Alexandre Moraes
- Conflict between Moraes and X owner Elon Musk began in April over the spreading of misinformation
Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to vote on Monday on whether to uphold a ruling to ban social media platform X. The vote was called by Justice Alexandre Moraes after X was suspended early Saturday for failing to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil by a court-imposed deadline.
The conflict between Justice Moraes and X’s owner, Elon Musk, began in April when the judge ordered the suspension of several accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation. Justice Moraes, who is part of the first chamber of the 11-member Supreme Court, will have his decision reviewed by his own chamber.
In his ruling, Justice Moraes gave tech giants like Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores and block access on their devices. He also threatened fines of R$50,000 (approximately $8,910) for individuals or businesses using VPNs to access X.
X closed its office in Brazil last month, citing threats of arrest against its representative for non-compliance with what it called illegal censorship under Brazilian law. The platform has a significant user base in Brazil, one of its largest markets.