SAO PAULO: An ongoing feud between a Brazil Supreme Court justice and Elon Musk left social media platform X on the brink of being blocked in the country, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demanded that the billionaire comply with local laws.
X was still working normally in Brazil on Friday (Aug 30) morning, but the platform said late on Thursday that it expected Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to order a shutdown “soon,” after a court-imposed deadline expired for the company to identify a legal representative in Brazil.
“Each and every citizen from any part of the world that has an investment in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian constitution and Brazilian laws,” Lula told a local radio station on Friday.
“Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn’t mean he can disrespect (the law),” the leftist leader added. Musk on Thursday had criticized Lula as Moraes’ “lapdog” in a post on X in which the billionaire also called Moraes a “dictator..
The judge, in a separate event on Friday, reiterated his view that social media needs regulation to contain “hate speech.” He did not provide any details about when he might issue an order blocking X.
“Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable,” Moraes said.
Earlier this year, the judge ordered X to block certain accounts implicated in probes of so-called digital militias accused of spreading distortion and hate. Musk, denouncing the order as censorship, responded by firing the platform’s staff in Brazil and closing its operations. X, formerly known as Twitter, said at the time that its services would still be available in Brazil.
From: channelnewsasia
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