On Monday, Brazil’s federal supreme court justices unanimously agreed to ratify the nationwide ban on Elon Musk’s X imposed on Saturday.
Musk’s monthslong feud with Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes began in early April. de Moraes has ordered X to ban seven popular far-right accounts for violating Brazilian law, but the social media platform refused to comply.
Meanwhile, Musk criticized the decision as excessive censorship in violation of the law and the will of the Brazilian people. On the other hand, de Moraes called the rejection an utter disrespect of the South American country’s sovereignty.
In early August, the Brazilian Supreme Court judge eventually ordered Musk to name an X representative to defend the platform’s refusal to comply. Instead of adhering, the controversial billionaire described the de Moraes as a dictator.
The ruling will suspend X until the social media platform agrees to ban the seven accounts. It also orders internet service providers to block the website and remove the app from online stores operating in Brazil.
Furthermore, people and companies using VPNs to access the banned platform will be charged a daily fine of R$50,000 ($8,900.00). Brazil’s Supreme Court has also frozen the local bank accounts of Musk’s satellite internet service provider, Starlink.
Brazil Ban Sparks Mass Migration to X Competitors
Analysts said the damage to X’s Brazil market share could persist even if the restriction is lifted later. Amid the controversy, users of what was formerly known as Twitter quickly switched to rival platforms, primarily Bluesky and Threads.
According to industry watchers, X users began exploring available social media alternatives soon after de Moraes announced his ultimatum. Bluesky revealed through its platform that it has reached new all-time highs for user activity in Brazil.
As of April 2024, Brazil was X’s sixth-largest consumer, with 21.48 million active users or over 10.00% of the total population. The loss of the Brazilian market will further exacerbate the platform’s troubles, driven by the ongoing exodus of advertisers.
