Elon Musk owned X has been asked to shut its operations in Brazil following Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes order as X failed to appoint a legal representative in the country by the deadline. Now, the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that Musk must respect the rulings of the country’s Supreme Court. Loca told a radio station, “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.”
The Brazilian President added, “Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn’t mean he can disrespect (the law).” Notably the same leftist leader was labelled as Moraes’ ‘lapdog’ by Musk just a few days back on X. Musk called Moraes a ‘dictator’.
Brazilian laws governing the internet mandate social media platforms to have a representative based in the nation.
To stop X’s operations in Brazil, Justice Moraes would need to instruct telecommunications providers to cease carrying X’s traffic. However, users could circumvent this block by using virtual private networks (VPNs).
What Went Down After Moraes’ Order
Amidst the ongoing dispute over X, Brazil’s Supreme Court has also frozen the local bank accounts of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company. This move, as reported by Reuters, is believed to be linked to the absence of legal representation for the social media platform in Brazil.
Musk has stated on X that Starlink, which provides internet access to remote areas, will continue offering its services to Brazilians at no cost “until this issue is resolved,” noting the reliance of many remote schools and hospitals on the service.
In another post on X, Musk mentioned that Starlink would “keep supporting the Brazilian military despite the illegal freezing of our bank accounts in Brazil.”
In June, the Brazilian military informed the lower house that any disruption in Starlink’s services could adversely affect their operations and impede the strategic deployment of specialised troops.