Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak during a meeting in the city of Porto Feliz in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, May 20, 2022.
Kenny Oliveira | MCom | via Reuters
Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened an investigation on Sunday against tech tycoon Elon Musk, the billionaire and CTO of the social network X (formerly Twitter). The investigation concerns possible obstruction of justice by Musk, who said over the weekend he would defy court orders to restrict or suspend some popular accounts on his platform.
Moraes also ordered Musk’s involvement in a broader investigation into so-called “digital militias,” a term applied to people accused of spreading misinformation online to attack democratic institutions in Brazil.
The orders follow threats of open defiance that Musk posted on his account on X, where he now has 180.2 million listed followers.
A defiant Musk wrote on Saturday in response to previous court orders: “We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has imposed massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and denied them access to Brazil. As a result, we will likely lose all revenue in Brazil and have to close our office there. But principles matter more than profits.
On Sunday, Musk further provoked Brazil’s Supreme Court, calling for the resignation or impeachment of Judge Moraes, who ruled on the orders. Musk also made unfounded claims that the judge broke the law in Brazil.
On Sunday, the tech billionaire also threatened to release information from X that would portray Moraes as a traitor to his own country.
He wrote: “Everything requested by will be published shortly.” [Alexandre de Moraes] and how these requests violate Brazilian law. This judge has repeatedly and brazenly betrayed the Constitution and the Brazilian people. He should resign or be impeached. shame [Alexandre de Moraes]Shame.”
Moraes has long supported regulations to curb harmful content and misinformation online in Brazil. He was opposed by a number of organizations, including technology companies, far-right officials in the country and former President Bolsonaro.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he arrives at a hotel to attend a press conference about the Amazon rainforest and meet with Elon Musk in Porto Feliz, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, May 20, 2022.
Amanda Perobelli | Reuters
With a population of more than 215 million in 2023, Brazil is the second most populous country in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. Musk’s vocal opposition to Moraes comes during the country’s local elections, where voters are scheduled to go to the polls in October.
Like Americans, Brazilian voters are deeply divided over politics. The country also experienced destabilizing political violence similar to that seen on January 6, 2021 during its recent transfer of power.
On January 8, 2023, supporters of ousted far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decried a “stolen” election, broke into and vandalized government buildings, and called for military intervention to remove elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from office.
Bolsonaro is currently under investigation because he is suspected of staging a coup in his home country, falsifying records and committing other crimes.
Musk – CTO and owner of Amazon.
During Bolsonaro’s presidency, SpaceX first received permission to turn on its satellite internet service, called Starlink, in Brazil, and the service is now widely used across the country.
During their meeting in May 2022, Bolsonaro expressed the Tesla executive’s plans to take over Twitter as “a touch of hope.”
X and other social networks are under increasing regulatory pressure around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, the European Union, India and Turkey.
For every account that Those involved will also be held responsible in Brazil for defying the court’s orders.
Moraes wrote in his decision: “Social networks are not a lawless country!” And he said that Musk’s statements show that X protects those who promote criminal activities against Brazil’s democracy.
“The conduct of “X” theoretically constitutes not only an abuse of economic power by attempting to ILLEGALLY influence public opinion, but also a blatant incitement and incitement to perpetuate various criminal behaviors of the digital militias under investigation,” the judge wrote to Correio Brazilense.
Mixed record on freedom of expression
Musk-led Company X has been fined for failing to comply with Australia’s e-safety regulations. X is also the subject of an investigation by the European Union in the context of its relatively new digital service Act, a series of laws that should be accounted for technology companies for incitement to terrorism, hate speeches, exploitation of children and other harmful content on their platforms.
Free speech advocates fear that such regulations – created in the name of curbing online harm or protecting users’ data and privacy – can be too easily exploited by government officials and used to target perceived enemies such as activists, academics, etc .target or silence dissidents.
While Musk describes himself as a free speech absolutist, his track record is wildly inconsistent.
When he took over Twitter, Musk reduced content moderation, employee trust and security, relaxed company policies and restored accounts that had been suspended under previous management.
For example, Musk reactivated former President Donald Trump’s account after previous management imposed a lifetime ban on it in January 2021. (The suspension followed the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which Trump supporters rioted and disrupted lawmakers who were officially counting the Electoral College votes.)
Meanwhile, Musk-led Tesla has for years required its employees and customers to sign strict non-disclosure agreements and binding arbitration agreements that intentionally restrict their freedom of expression. At SpaceX, employees said they were fired in retaliation for writing an open letter criticizing Musk in 2022.
And in February, at the behest of the Indian government, X removed accounts and posts linked to the ongoing farmer protests there.
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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2024-04-08 06:01:17
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