SAO PAULO: Brazil’s supreme court on Friday ordered social media giant X to be taken down in the country after billionaire Elon Musk did not name a legal representative for his messaging platform.

Judge Alexandre Moraes and Elon Musk have been in a public feud for months after X failed to comply with legal orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading fake news and hate messages.

Under Brazilian laws governing the internet, social media platforms must have a representative based in the country.

“Each and every citizen from any part of the world that has an investment in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian constitution and Brazilian laws,” President Lula told a local radio station on Friday.

“Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn’t mean he can disrespect (the law),” the leftist leader added. Musk on Thursday had criticised Lula as Moraes’ “lapdog” in a post on X in which the billionaire also called Moraes a “dictator”.

The judge, in a separate event on Friday, reiterated his view that social media needs regulation to contain “hate speech.” He did not provide any details about when he mi­ght issue an order blocking X.

“Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable,” Moraes said.

Earlier this year, the judge ordered X to block certain accounts implicated in probes of so-called digital militias accused of spreading distortion and hate. Musk, denouncing the order as censorship, responded by firing the platform’s staff in Brazil and closing its operations. X, formerly known as Twitter, said at the time that its services would still be available in Brazil.

Under Brazilian laws governing the internet, social media platforms are required to have a locally based representative. To shut down X’s operations in Brazil, Moraes would have to order telecommunication companies to stop carrying X traffic. Users, however, would still be able to dodge the blockage by using virtual private networks, or VPNs.

Amid the underlying feud over X, Brazil’s Supreme Court also blocked the local bank accounts of the Starlink satellite internet firm, which is 40 per cent owned by Musk.

Musk has said on X that Starlink — which offers internet connections to remote places — would continue to serve Brazilians for free “until this matter is resolved,” claiming that many isolated schools and hospitals depend on the firm.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024