Brazil blocks social media platform X after Supreme Court ruling on disinformation

NEWS WIRES

31 August 2024 at 1:11 am·1-min read

A block on the social media platform X in Brazil came into effect early Saturday after the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered its suspension following a months-long standoff with Elon Musk over disinformation. X shut down its business operations in Brazil earlier this month rather than obey an order from the judge to block dozens of accounts being investigated over fake news or hate speech, an order Musk denounced as censorship.

A block on Elon Musk's X social network in Brazil started to take effect early Saturday after a Supreme Court judge ordered its suspension, according to AFP.

Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes on Friday ordered the suspension of the platform following a months-long standoff with the tech billionaire over disinformation in South America's largest nation.

Moraes handed down the ruling after Musk failed to comply with an order to name a new legal representative for the company.

Early Saturday access to X, formerly known as Twitter, was no longer possible for some users in the South American country, who were presented with a message asking them to reload the browser without being able to log in successfully.

The two have been locked in an ongoing, high-profile feud for months as Moraes leads a battle against disinformation in Brazil.

"Who does (Musk) think he is?"

(AFP)

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