Elon Musk, tech CEO and owner of X corp, said on Saturday evening that the business has chosen to lift all restrictions on Brazilian accounts targeted by a Supreme Court decree.
“We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and cut off access to ? in Brazil. As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there. But principles matter more than profit,” Musk said.
We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and cut off access to ? in Brazil.
As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.
But principles matter more than…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2024
Musk’s remark came during a thread from journalist Michael Shellenberger about the “Brazil Files.”
“We are… pushing back against the requests…”
On February 14, 2020, Twitter’s legal counsel in Brazil, Rafael Batista, emailed his colleagues to describe a hearing in Congress on “Disinformation and ‘fake news’”
Batista revealed that members of Brazil’s Congress had asked… pic.twitter.com/OQCfYD13LO
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) April 3, 2024
“This aggressive censorship appears to violate the law & will of the people of Brazil,” Musk initially commented.
This aggressive censorship appears to violate the law & will of the people of Brazil https://t.co/Vuxerg2L9w
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2024
The tech CEO also endorsed Shellenberger’s reporting from Brazil.
This is all accurate. https://t.co/auqZnICkd7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024
“This is all accurate,” he remarked.
In his X article, Shellenberger references information revealed by X, previously Twitter, during Musk’s 2022 takeover, observing that “Brazil is engaged in a sweeping crackdown on free speech led by a Supreme Court justice.”
Sitting members of Brazil’s Congress and journalists were among those designated by the country’s top court for censorship, according to Shellenberger.
He cited lower house members Carla Zambelli of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party and Marcel van Hattem of the NOVO party as targets of court-ordered removal of purportedly ‘misleading’ postings.
According to the internal documents released by Shellenberger, Twitter/X in Brazil was threatened with a $30,000 penalty. The corporation had one hour to either delete the Congress members’ posts or pay the court for violations.
According to the report, the legal system has even imprisoned people without trial for things they have said on social media.
According to Shellenberger, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded access to Twitter’s internal data, which violated Twitter’s own user data standards. He also reportedly directed Twitter to deplatform the persons responsible for the precise messages he wanted blocked, “without giving users any right of appeal or even the right to see the evidence presented against them.”
On Sunday, Musk provided an update on the situation vis-à-vis Brazil’s high court.
Coming shortly, ? will publish everything demanded by @Alexandre and how those requests violate Brazilian law.
This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached.
Shame @Alexandre, shame.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024
“Coming shortly, ? will publish everything demanded by [Alexandre de Moraes] and how those requests violate Brazilian law,” he said.
“This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached,” he added. Shame [Alexandre], shame.”
Musk expressed more disdain for Brazil’s high judge.
Brazil’s Darth Vader!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024
“Brazil’s Darth Vader!” he reacted to a picture of Moraes posted by the account Texas Lindsay.
