Brazilian Supreme Court justices, who perform functions similar to South Korea's Constitutional Court, have ruled that the decision to block the X (formerly Twitter) service is 'not problematic.'
According to the daily Guardian and others, on the 2nd (local time), all five justices of the First Chamber of the Brazilian Supreme Court, including Justice Alexandre de Moraes, voted in favor of the decision to block X.
Previously, Justice de Moraes ordered the blocking of certain accounts on X, citing unconstitutional elements in the actions of the so-called 'digital militias' accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during former President Jair Bolsonaro's administration. However, X has not complied for months and has not appointed a legal representative in Brazil. After Justice de Moraes imposed fines for non-compliance with the court order, X still did not comply, claiming "to guarantee freedom of expression." It is estimated that the unpaid fines by X amount to 18.35 million Brazilian reais (approximately 4.36 billion Korean won).
Accordingly, the Supreme Court ordered Anatel, the broadcasting and telecommunications licensing, regulation, and supervision agency, to impose a fine of 50,000 reais (about 12 million Korean won) for individuals and companies detected bypassing X via virtual private networks (VPNs). Additionally, the court ordered the freezing of accounts related to Starlink, the satellite internet service of SpaceX, the space company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, similar to X.
Justice Fl?vio Dino, who voted in favor of Justice de Moraes' decision, criticized X for deliberately ignoring court orders in Brazil, saying it "placed itself above the rule of law." He also suggested that if the company corrects its illegal actions, future Supreme Court decisions could change. He pointed out, "Economic power and the size of bank accounts do not create strange immunity within jurisdiction."
Justice Cristiano Zanin also supported the decision to block X, stating, "Repeatedly violating Supreme Court rulings is a very serious issue," and emphasized, "No one can operate in Brazil without complying with laws and the federal constitution."
The justices who expressed that blocking X is not problematic criticized that "in a democratic society, the freedom to attack cannot be confused with freedom of expression," and that "constitutional bans on hate speech are being deliberately mixed with censorship." They also emphasized their commitment to protecting the Brazilian judicial system.
Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court's ruling in an interview with CNN Brazil on the same day, evaluating that "the Brazilian judiciary sent an important signal that the international community has no reason to tolerate Musk's far-right ideology just because he is wealthy."
On the other hand, CEO Musk again unleashed harsh criticism against Justice de Moraes on the same day. On his X account, he posted a photo of Justice de Moraes along with comments such as "It's only a matter of time before this criminal is locked up," "Brazil's dictator," and "fake judge." Musk has previously criticized the Brazilian Supreme Court's rulings as an authoritarian crusade suppressing conservative voices and freedom of expression.
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