- By Ashish Singh
- Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:23 AM (IST)
- Source:Reuters
X Ban in Brazil: A five-member panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court will decide whether to support the decision made by Justice Alexandre de Moraes to shut down social media platform X across the nation.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, has referred to Moraes as a "dictator," and he has convened a virtual session of the court's first chamber, of which he is a member so that peers can examine his ruling.
The 11 justices of Brazil's Supreme Court—not counting the chief justice—are divided into two chambers, each with five members. Voters have the option to uphold or reject a single judge's rulings. Judges Moraes, Carmen Lucia, Luiz Fux, Cristiano Zanin, and Flavio Dino are seated with him in the first chamber on the panel.
Read: Brazil Supreme Court Orders Suspension Of X In Country, Elon Musk Says, 'Evil Dictator'
One of its biggest markets, Brazil, had X pulled down early on Saturday morning as a result of a decision made by Moraes, who has been embroiled in a months-long dispute with Musk.
The well-known social media network was suspended after failing to designate a legal agent in Brazil under the local legislation, as mandated by a court order on Thursday night.
The controversy surrounding X stems from a Moraes order that was issued earlier this year, requiring the platform to remove user accounts connected to investigations into purported hate and false information.
Musk claims that Moraes shut down the X office in Brazil in August without designating a new representative because he was attempting to impose unwarranted censorship. The judge has maintained that laws against hate speech are necessary for social media. For those unaware, the Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso approved Moraes' most recent decision.
"In an interview published on Sunday in the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Barroso stated that a company cannot function within Brazilian territory if it declines to designate a legal representative in Brazil."
