The ongoing feud between Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes and billionaire Elon Musk has escalated, with de Moraes moving to block the financial accounts of Musk’s Starlink in response to the lack of legal representation for Musk’s social media platform X in Brazil. Musk has denounced de Moraes as a criminal and accused him of censorship for ordering the social network to block certain accounts accused of spreading lies and distortions. De Moraes has threatened to suspend X in the country if Musk does not comply with Brazilian legislation, leading to Starlink receiving an order preventing it from conducting financial transactions in Brazil.
X, formerly known as Twitter, had previously announced plans to close operations and fire its staff in Brazil due to what it called “censorship orders” from de Moraes. The judge had allegedly threatened one of the company’s legal representatives in Brazil with arrest if it did not comply with legal orders to remove certain content from its platform. De Moraes has led a crackdown on misinformation and disinformation in Brazil, ordering the suspension of over 100 X accounts in recent years, including those of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who peddled unsubstantiated claims about electronic voting machine fraud.
Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist, has accused de Moraes of stifling free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution. The feud between the two escalated in April when Musk decided to stop complying with court orders to block certain X accounts, prompting de Moraes to accuse him of waging a disinformation campaign and disrespecting Brazil’s sovereignty. De Moraes has defended his actions as necessary to combat the spread of false information within the country of over 200 million people.
De Moraes has ordered Musk to name a legal representative for X in Brazil or face suspension of the social network’s activities in the country. The judge maintains that companies that do not respect Brazilian legislation or the confidentiality of private information can face temporary suspension of their activities. Musk has criticized de Moraes for issuing orders in secret and without due process of law, while Starlink has vowed to address the order legally. The Supreme Court has posted screenshots of its court decisions on X, tagging Musk and X’s Global Government Affairs accounts.
The ongoing conflict between de Moraes and Musk reflects broader tensions over freedom of speech, censorship, and misinformation in Brazil. As the legal battle continues, the implications for the future of social media regulation and governance in the country remain unclear. With de Moraes cracking down on misinformation and Musk defending free speech principles, the clash between the two influential figures highlights the complexities of navigating the intersection of technology, politics, and the law in the digital age.
