Elon Musk has never shied away from speaking his mind. The self-described free speech absolutist’s latest feud is with a Brazilian supreme court judge, whom Musk accused of issuing “the most draconian demands of any country on Earth.”
Musk’s involvement with the Brazilian government is not new. Just days after he acquired X (formally Twitter), Musk became involved in content moderation decisions relating to Brazil’s contentious 2022 election, which resulted in left-wing and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeating the conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by two percentage points.
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When Musk took over Twitter, Bolsonaro described the meeting as “the start of a relationship which I’m sure will soon end in marriage.”
Now, Musk faces a government that’s more hostile toward X.
A post on X by journalist Michael Shellenberger said a Brazilian court forced the platform to “block certain popular accounts in Brazil,” which Musk openly defied. Musk described the post, which received more than 100,000 likes, as “all accurate.”
Musk also said that X will “probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there. But principles matter more than profit.”
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Brazil Attorney General Jorge Messias, an appointee of the current Brazilian president, said, “It is urgent to regulate social networks.”
Musk has fought back against foreign governments in the past. Last month, X successfully defeated the Turkish government in court after it demanded the removal of nearly 50 posts critical of the government.
Despite his wins, Musk’s actions have caused controversy even among his supporters.
Ross Gerber, an early investor in Tesla Inc., recently voiced his frustration with Musk, saying that Tesla investors “have had enough” with the controversial CEO.
For Brazilian users of X concerned their access might get taken away, Musk provided a simple, cost-effective solution: “To ensure that you can still access the X platform, download a virtual private network (VPN) app.”
A VPN allows a user’s web traffic to hide their true location, giving those in restricted countries the ability to make their traffic seem as if it’s coming from another source.
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This article Elon Musk’s X Defies Brazilian Court Order, Calls For Supreme Court Judge To Resign After Issuing ‘Most Draconian Demands’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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