Explaining Brazil #309: Musk flinches in X standoff

If you use X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, you’re likely to have noticed something of a change in your timelines since the start of September, with the absence of one of the network’s biggest and most prolific audiences: Brazilians. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and X’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, have been engaged in one of the world’s most high-profile staring contests over the past few months, which escalated to a blanket ban on X across Brazil on August 31.

Justice Moraes, a lightning rod for vitriol from Brazil’s right-wing, had demanded Musk’s social media platform take down posts and accounts that diffused conspiracy theories concerning the Brazilian voting system. As a darling of that same Brazilian right-wing, Musk refused, threatening to shut down X’s Brazil operations, which he did.

At the time, we at The Brazilian Report warned that firing his entire Brazil team could make the problem worse for X, as without a legal representative in the country, the platform could face a ban, which it did.

And now, more than three weeks into the X ban, with Brazilian internet users now starting to get used to life after Twitter, the staring contest may well be coming to an end, with Elon Musk blinking first, and caving to the Supreme Court’s demands.

Correction: The podcast incorrectly said Mr. Musk is the CEO of X. While he owns the platform, X Corp’s CEO is Linda Yaccarino. We apologize for the mistake.

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This episode used music from Uppbeat and Envato. License codes: Fairytales by Daniel Zambo, Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S), and Private Investigation by AMZA (V9ZG3LD).

In this episode:

• Cedê Silva is The Brazilian Report’s Brasília correspondent.

Background reading on the battle between Elon Musk and the Brazilian Supreme Court:

• In episode 305 of Explaining Brazil, we took apart the decision by Elon Musk to close down X’s Brazil operations. At the time, we warned that having no legal representation in the country could lead to the platform being banned, which is exactly what happened.

• Amid X’s Brazil ban, the social network briefly became available again for some users due to a server hosting change. The Supreme Court saw the development as an intentional attempt to evade the ban.

• Mr. Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes have been at each other’s throats for some time now. In April, Justice Moraes put the tech mogul under investigation for “obstruction of justice, incitation of criminal activity, and the willful criminal instrumentalization of X.”

• Regarding Alexandre de Moraes, concern and criticism about his potential overreach has been irreparably contaminated by politics. Segments of the right believe he can do no right, while parts of the left believe he can do no wrong.

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The post Explaining Brazil #309: Musk flinches in X standoff appeared first on The Brazilian Report.