Explainer-What is Elon Musk’s fight with a Brazilian Supreme Court judge about? By Reuters

BRASILIA (Reuters) – A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has ordered billionaire Elon Musk to appoint a legal representative for his messaging platform X in Brazil within 24 hours or face a suspension of the social media site in the country.

WHAT IS THE CONFLICT ABOUT?

Judge Alexandre de Moraes and Musk have been in a public feud for months after X defied legal orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading “fake news” and hateful messages. X, formerly known as Twitter, claims Moraes threatened to arrest one of the company’s legal representatives in Brazil if he did not comply. Musk’s platform closed all of its offices in Brazil due to what it called “censorship” by the judge, though its service remained available to users in the country.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Moraes could order the social media giant to be brought down in Brazil immediately. To gain support for his decision, he could propose the suspension of X in the full court of the higher court, which would take several days. Moraes could also freeze the financial assets of Musk’s Starlink, issuing an order to block the accounts of the satellite internet network, which has rapidly expanded its user base in Brazil. Responding to a post stating that Starlink accounts had been blocked, Musk called Moraes a “dictator” on X.

HOW WOULD X BE CLOSED?

According to Brazilian internet laws, social networks must have a representative based in the country. The judge said companies that violate Brazilian law can have their activities temporarily suspended. To stop X’s operations in Brazil, Moraes should order telcos to stop carrying X traffic. Users could still avoid the block by using VPNs, and posts urging Brazilians to do so were in trending on social media after Moraes’ suspension threat.

WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE IMPACT?

X is widely used in Brazil and is an important means of communication, especially for politicians, as a means of expressing their views and attacking their rivals. The country is about to enter the campaign phase for local municipal elections in October that will decide the mayors of 5,568 cities.

RIGHT-LEFT DIVIDE ON THE ISSUE?

Reactions to the feud between Moraes and Musk are divided. Some X users shared Musk’s criticism of the judge’s decisions, saying they undermine free speech in Brazil. Others agree with the judge’s view that Musk should not be above Brazilian law.

Supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro see Musk as an ally in their opposition to Moraes’ investigations into so-called digital militias that have been accused of spreading “fake news” and hate messages during Bolsonaro’s government, which extended from 2019 to 2022.