Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Tesla CEO Musk held a meeting in Porto Feliz, Sao Paulo State, Brazil on May 20, 2022.
Kenny Oliveira | Welfare | via Reuters
On Sunday, Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened an investigation into tech giant Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of social network X (formerly Twitter) Chief Technology Officer. The investigation involves potential obstruction of justice by Musk, who said over the weekend that he would ignore court orders to restrict or suspend some popular accounts on his platform.
Moraes also ordered Musk to be included in a broader investigation into so-called “digital militias,” a term applied to people accused of spreading misinformation online to attack Brazil’s democratic institutions.
The orders came after Musk posted public threats of defiance on his X account, where he now has 180.2 million followers.
On Saturday, a defiant Musk wrote in response to an earlier court order: “We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has imposed huge fines, threatened to arrest our employees, and cut off our access to Brazil.” . As a result, we may lose all revenue in Brazil and we have to close our offices there. But principles are more important than profits.”
By Sunday, Musk had further angered Brazil’s Supreme Court, calling for the resignation or impeachment of Judge Moraes, who made the order’s decision. Musk also made unsubstantiated accusations that the judge violated Brazilian law.
On Sunday, the tech billionaire also threatened to release information from inside X, painting Moraes as a traitor to his country.
“Morais), disgrace.”
Moraes has long supported curbing harmful content and Network error message in Brazil. He faces resistance from a range of entities, including technology companies, the country’s far-right officials and former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrives at a hotel to attend a press conference on the Amazon rainforest and meet with Elon Musk, according to ministers, in Puerto Feliz, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, May 20, 2022 (Elon Musk) made a gesture.
Amanda Perobelli | Reuters
Have more than Will reach 215 million in 2023, Brazil is the second most populous country in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States. Musk’s public opposition to Moraes comes during the country’s municipal election year, with voters scheduled to go to the polls in October.
Like Americans, Brazilian voters are deeply divided on political issues. The country has also experienced destabilizing political violence similar to that on January 6, 2021, during the latest transfer of power.
It’s Jane. 8. 2023Supporters of Brazil’s ousted far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro have decried a “stolen” election, invaded and vandalized government buildings and called for military intervention to remove President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula ·Da Silva was ousted.
Bolsonaro is currently under investigationHe is suspected of plotting a coup, falsifying records and other crimes in his home country.
Musk, the chief technology officer and owner of X and CEO of automaker Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX, reportedly visited Bolsonaro in an election year in May 2022 to discuss the Problems with rural schools using his aerospace company’s satellite internet service. Amazon.
During Bolsonaro’s term as president, SpaceX first received permission to launch its satellite network service called Starlink in Brazil, which is now commonly used across the country.
At the May 2022 meeting, Bolsonaro weighed in on the Tesla executive’s plan to take over Twitter, calling it “a glimmer of hope.”
X and other social networks face growing regulatory pressure around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, the European Union, India and Turkey.
The court will fine Musk and the company 100,000 reais (nearly $20,000) per day for each account that X restores in violation of Brazil’s Supreme Court order, the documents show. Those involved will also be held accountable in Brazil for violating court orders.
“Social networks are not lawless lands!” Moraes wrote in his decision. He said Musk’s statement showed that X protects those who promote criminal activities against Brazilian democracy.
“Theoretically, ‘X’s’ conduct constitutes not only an abuse of economic power and an attempt to illegally influence public opinion, but also blatant inducement and abetment to sustain the various criminal acts committed by the digital militiamen under investigation,” the judge wrote. brazilian post.
Free speech has a mixed record
Company X led by Musk fined Failure to comply with Australian electronic safety regulations. The .
Free speech advocates worry that regulations enacted in the name of curbing online harm or protecting user data and privacy could easily be exploited by government officials to target or silence perceived enemies, such as activists, academics and politicians. . Dissident.
Although Musk describes himself as a free speech absolutist, his record is wildly inconsistent.
When Musk took over Twitter, he cut the number of content moderation, trust and safety staff, relaxed the company’s policies and reinstated accounts that had been banned under his previous management.
For example, Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump’s account after previous management imposed a lifetime ban on him in January 2021. (The ban was reinstated after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters rioted and disrupted lawmakers as they formally counted Electoral College votes.)
Meanwhile, Musk’s Tesla has for years required employees and customers to sign strict confidentiality agreements and mandatory arbitration agreements, intentionally limiting their free speech. SpaceX employees said they were fired in retaliation for writing an open letter criticizing Musk in 2022.
In February this year, X deleted accounts and posts related to the ongoing local farmer protests at the request of the Indian government.
X did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Sunday.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
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