Elon Musk Loses Feud Against Brazil, Tells Court He and X Will Comply With Court Ruling

Elon Musk has been feuding with Brazil over certain X accounts being blocked in the country for spreading misinformation, and he has now admitted defeat and says he will comply with the top Brazilian Electoral Court's ruling.

Lawyers for the X and Tesla CEO sent a letter addressed to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and it showed Mush backtracking on his vow that he would challenge the decision by Moraes to block several X accounts in Brazil.

Previously, X Brasil stated that the Brazilian Supreme Court cannot force the US-based company to comply. However, Musk's lawyers contradicted this in the letter when they wrote, "As already communicated to the federal police, X Brasil informs that all orders issued by this Supreme Court and the Superior Electoral Court will continue to be fully complied with by X Corp."

Musk, who claims he is a free speech absolutist despite banning X users who criticize him, previously stated he would reverse all restrictions imposed by Moraes because they were unconstitutional, even calling on Moraes to resign, according to Reuters.

On Monday, X admitted that the company received a subpoena from the US House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee. The company was ordered to provide information on orders from the Brazilian Supreme Court regarding content moderation.

This led to Musk and X backtracking and complying with the Brazilian court's order, with X now saying that it has shared confidential court documents and would keep Justice Moraes "posted regarding any updates it might get from X Corp on the matter."

Brazil AG Threatened To Regulate Social Media Should X Not Comply

Before the US House Judiciary Committee compelled Musk and X to comply with the order of the top electoral court in Brazil, the South American country's attorney-general, Jorge Messias, stated that "It is urgent to regulate social networks" soon after Musk vowed to not comply with court orders and called on Supreme Court Justice Moraes to "resign or be impeached."

"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, said the Brazilian AG.

X then claimed it "has been forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil."

Why Is Elon Musk Beefing With Brazil Over X?

The spat between Elon Musk and Brazil started after Justice Moraes ordered X to block "certain popular accounts" in Brazil that were spreading false information regarding the 2022 election results. The ruling also threatened X that the company would face daily fines of up to $20,000 if it did not comply, according to The Verge.

This led to Musk lifting all restrictions in X Brasil and advising users to use a VPN just in case the country blocks all access to X, which was the source of disinformation in the country, with many of former President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters claiming eventual winner Lula cheated. Bolsonaro did not have any evidence of these claims, and his supporters used social media to plan a coup that ultimately failed on January 8, 2023.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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