X (formerly Twitter) may be shut down in Brazil over censorship
Elon Musk wants to prioritize principles over profits.
Microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) is at risk of being shut down in its biggest South American market, as billionaire owner Elon Musk gets into a heated battle with the Brazilian government over censorship on the platform.
The core issue revolves around Elon Musk’s public refusal of a court order to block “certain popular accounts in Brazil.”
According to X, the Brazilian court demanded the blocking of accounts without disclosing the specific offences or allowing X to reveal details of the order.
X Corp. has been forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil. We have informed those accounts that we have taken this action.
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) April 6, 2024
We do not know the reasons these blocking orders have been issued.
We do not know which posts are alleged to violate the…
X had initially posted its compliance with the new order, but a user on X had questioned Musk about this decision. In response, Musk made a backflip on the initial decision and announced that X would not be adhering to this request and that all restrictions would be lifted.
We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and cut off access to 𝕏 in Brazil.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2024
As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.
But principles matter more than…
Musk in the post on X claims the Brazilian court threatened fines, employee arrests, and even shutting down X's Brazilian operations entirely. This could mean losing a presence in its sixth-biggest market of over 21 million users and a total loss of revenue in the country.
However, this defiance of the court order does seem inconsistent with Musk's usual approach. Historically, X has complied with government censorship requests in countries like Turkey, India, and Germany to avoid shutdowns.
It is clear that Musk's defiance puts X's future in Brazil at risk, but it suggests a potential prioritization of principles over market access. He has however vowed to legally challenge the order, but the outcome may still deal a major blow to the company that has struggled with exiting advertisers and slowing revenue.
