Brazil to Ban X? The Country vs. Elon Musk

The internet exists to facilitate the free flow of information, allowing people to instantaneously access services, to communicate, and to share knowledge and ideas. However, in today’s interconnected digital landscape, this kind of access is facing a huge issue, as in a lot of regions, restricting content online has become increasingly significant. But who thought that Brazil would ever join the latter by blocking X?

It all started with a court order requiring the social network X to take down some far-right accounts. While the government may have its reasons, Elon Musk most certainly does not agree with that decision.

A judge has opened an inquiry into what he called Musk’s obstruction of justice. So, what does this mean? Where is it going? Is X going to be banned in Brazil? We’ll be shedding more light on the matter in the following article.

Brazilian X Story: The Court vs. Elon Musk

So, here’s the sitch! Elon Musk finds himself under legal scrutiny in Brazil following a public dispute with a Supreme Court judge regarding an order instructing the social media platform X to remove certain far-right accounts.

It all started when an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro’s efforts to maintain power following his defeat in the 2022 election took place.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes had issued a court directive mandating the platform, previously known as Twitter, to block specific users related to the case.

Not only that, but the order also prohibited the platform from disclosing the identities of the blocked accounts and imposed daily fines of approximately £16,000 for non-compliance.

But Musk had something else in mind. Not only did he refuse compliance to these demands, but he also announced that the company would now reverse these blocks and urged Moraes to resign or face impeachment.

We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and cut off access to 𝕏 in Brazil.

As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.

But principles matter more than…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2024

In response, Judge Alexandre de Moraes declared on Sunday that he had initiated an investigation into what he labeled as Musk’s obstruction of justice.

The revelation of the court order coincided with the release of Musk’s “Twitter Files,” a collaboration with several journalists that granted access to internal records of the social network, suggesting a coordinated disclosure.

The Government Has a lot to Say

A couple of days ago, US writer Michael Shellenberger published over two years’ worth of communications between Twitter’s legal team and Brazilian courts.

This reflects evidence of “a sweeping crackdown on free speech,” as referred to be Shellenberger.

The beef later escalated, and Moraes responded by launching his inquiry that is backed by the current government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. And of course, the government also criticized Musk and called for regulation of social media.

According to the federal solicitor general, Jorge Messias:

“We cannot live in a society in which billionaires domiciled abroad have control of social networks and put themselves in a position to violate the rule of law, failing to comply with court orders and threatening our authorities. Social peace is non-negotiable.”

The Senior Members of the administration also stated that they would not allow anyone – no matter how much money and power they have – to affront their country.

So what will happen? Is X going to be banned in Brazil? If it does, and you live there, make sure to give the second part a thorough read.

Past vs. Present – Something Doesn’t Add Up

Here are the questions that have been floating around the internet: Why take a stand in Brazil? Why Now?

Ok, we do know that freedom of speech is very essential, not just in Brazil. X (Formerly known as Twitter) has faced several backlashes in the past ever since Musk took over and due to several similar incidents. Users also went around searching for Twitter alternatives.

However, Musk – a self-declared “free speech absolutist,” does have his contradictions, and this particular announcement is inconsistent with a previous approach of his a year ago.

Back in 2022, Elon Musk complied with an order from the Turkish Government to censor certain users in the lead-up to the local election. Either X gets shut down completely, or certain restrictions need to be applied.

Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2023

Now the question is: Why did he accept the terms back then and not now in Brazil? Easy – It might be because Elon’s other business, Tesla, doesn’t have as much exposure in Brazil.

Musk did express interest in building a Tesla factory in Turkey in the past. This might be a solid reason for the stand-off at hand.

Even if Blocked, It Can Be Unlocked

Brazil is a country where freedom of speech is cherished heavily. However, each country can slip up for whatever reason in that department, leading to bans and restrictions here and there.

In fact, blocking some X accounts is nothing compared to what other countries have done over the years. While the banning capacity is different, the unblocking tool remains the same – Virtual Private Networks.

You see, aside from granting total online security and anonymity, a VPN can also replace your IP address with a temporary one based on the server you’re connected to.

In other words, you will no longer be virtually present in the country where the ban exists. For example, if you’re in Brazil and the government decides to ban X, you won’t be able to access the platform.

That’s because you’re surfing the web with a Brazilian IP address. So, here’s what you need to do. Just use a VPN to connect to a server in a country where X is fully functional – The US would be a great choice.

Once you establish a connection, you’ll be operating the web with a US IP address. As a result, you can use X even if you live in Brazil.

VPN Recommendations

When it comes to choosing the right VPN, you need to take several factors into account. First, you must make sure that the VPN has a decent amount of servers across the globe.

That way, you can ensure that you’ll end up connecting to a server in a country where X is available. Second, security and privacy are the most important features of a VPN, and not all of them deliver in that department.

Finally, speed is essential when surfing X or the web in general. If the service doesn’t optimize its servers well, you might end up looking at a loading screen for quite some time.

Our top recommendation goes to ExpressVPN. A premium service that boasts high-quality features in each of the aforementioned departments.

As for those who are not willing to pay for a subscription, you can use Qamo VPN. This service is taking over mobile devices (Android) as it’s the best free VPN we have come across.

Not only that, but it also provides excellent speeds for mobile gaming, ensuring low latency and lags all the time.

Don’t worry; we’ve lined up other VPNs as recommendations as well. You can find them in the table below.

Brazil vs. Musk – It’s What’s Happening

Brazil, by far, has the sixth-highest amount of active users of the app, with 21 million Brazilians using X. Can you imagine what would happen if the country blocked the platform?

Let’s not do that and focus on a solution. When it comes to bans and restrictions, the ultimate tool to circumvent them is to use a Virtual Private Network.

We gave you the recommendations you need. Now, all you have to do is pick your VPN and never worry if a service gets blocked in your country.