A block on Elon Musk's X social network in Brazil started to take effect early Saturday after a Supreme Court judge ordered its suspension, according to reports.
Access to the platform, formerly known as Twitter, was no longer possible for some users in the South American country, who were presented with a message asking them to reload the browser without being able to log in successfully.
The three largest telecom operators in Brazil have informed telecom regulator Anatel that they will block access to messaging platform X in Brazil starting at midnight local time, a local news site reported, citing information from Anatel.
The three operators are TIM Brasil, backed by Telecom Italia; Telefonica Brasil, the local unit of Spain's Telefonica; and America Movil's Claro, the head of Anatel Carlos Baigorri said, according to UOL.
Supreme Court order
Anatel said on Friday it was proceeding to suspend access to Elon Musk 's X social network in the country in compliance with an order from a Supreme Court judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered the suspension of Elon Musk's X social media network in the country.
The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, handed down the ruling after Musk failed to comply with an order to name a new legal representative for the company.
Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, reacted with fury, branding Moraes an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil."
"Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes," the billionaire, who has become increasingly aligned with right-wing politics, wrote on X.
Disinformation campaign
The two have been locked in an ongoing, high-profile feud for months as Moraes leads a battle against disinformation in Brazil.
Musk has previously declared himself a "free speech absolutist," but since he took over the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022 he has been accused of turning it into a megaphone for right-wing conspiracy theories.
Moraes ordered the "immediate, complete and comprehensive suspension of the operation of" X in the country, telling the national communications agency to take "all necessary measures" to implement the order within 24 hours.
He threatened a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) to anyone who used "technological subterfuges" to get around the block, such as a VPN.
He also demanded Google, Apple and internet providers to "introduce technological obstacles capable of preventing the use of the X application" and access to the website - though he later walked back that order.
The social media platform has more than 22 million users in Brazil.
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