Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld a ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, making it inaccessible to over 212 million users in the country. The ban was due to X failing to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, a requirement for foreign companies operating there. This led to a daily fine being imposed on individuals and businesses using VPNs to access X.
Musk responded by calling Judge de Moraes, who issued the ban, “an evil dictator” for shutting down the “#1 source of truth in Brazil”. This is not the first time X has been banned by a country. Both China and Iran blocked the platform back in 2009. X has also faced bans in North Korea, Myanmar, Turkey, Venezuela, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Australia.
Under Musk’s leadership, X has taken a different approach to complying with local laws compared to its previous owner, Jack Dorsey. Musk’s quick decision-making and defiance of local laws have set him apart. In contrast, Dorsey’s Twitter complied with the Indian government’s request to block accounts critical of the government, before lifting the censorship. Twitter under Dorsey also blocked posts critical of Hunter Biden and banned Donald Trump following the Capitol riot.
Despite the ban in Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro led protests against it. X has become a reflection of Musk’s personality, with its actions under his leadership deviating from the traditional approach of social media platforms to comply with local laws.
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