In a judicial ruling, the magistrate of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, referred to the “criminal instrumentalization of X” by the magnate.
A Supreme Court judge in Brazil has ordered an investigation to be opened against Elon Musk, owner of the X platform, who accused him of “censorship” and demanded his resignation using that social network to spread his demands.
In a judicial ruling, the magistrate of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, referred to the “criminal instrumentalization of X” by the magnate, who is also the head of the electric car manufacturer Tesla and the aerospace company SpaceX.
He also ruled that “the social network X must refrain from disobeying any judicial order, even reactivating an account whose blocking has been ordered by the Supreme Court,” under penalty of a fine of 100,000 reais (about 18,300 euros, more than 19,700 dollars) per reactivated profile.
In recent years, the judge himself has ordered the blocking of accounts on X, some of which are suspected of spreading disinformation or promoting violent acts against democracy.
“Social networks are not lawless territories,” he emphasized in capital letters in his ruling. The lawyer handling the government’s cases stressed that it cannot be allowed for “billionaires living abroad and controlling social networks” to violate the Rule of Law and threaten authorities.
On Saturday, Musk launched a series of attacks against the high magistrate on X, saying he would challenge his legal decisions by “lifting all restrictions” imposed on him, although without providing further details. “We will probably lose our income in Brazil and have to close our offices. But principles are more important than profits,” he insisted.
On Sunday, he struck again. “This judge has blatantly and repeatedly betrayed the Constitution and the people of Brazil. He should resign or be removed,” Musk asserted on the social network, which he acquired in 2022. The billionaire promised to publish “all requests (judicial) from De Moraes and how these requests violate the law.”
Alexandre de Moraes is one of the 11 members of the STF. Additionally, the magistrate presides over the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), responsible for organizing and overseeing instances of popular voting.
He has led the fight against disinformation in Brazil in recent years and ordered the blocking of accounts of influential figures on social media, most of whom are sympathizers of the former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022).
His fall needs to come faster, along with crApple. They are the two biggest stains on human progress. One is a psychopath sitting a top his mountain cave, the other has visions of grandeur where the entire planet is plugged into its service funnel meat goes in one end shit comes out the other. I could throw other monopolies and tycoons under the bus as well, but these two are the biggest. Google and Meta are dangerously close.