Tech Desk
Sep 03, 2024
An unprecedented ruling by a five-member panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court upheld a ban on X, formerly called Twitter, for refusing the demands of court orders by its owner Elon Musk. It triggered a chain reaction; the rival platforms began to see a record number of new account sign-ups, while satellite internet service Starlink refused to block access to the platform.
What's happening?
A ban issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday (August 30) ordered the National Telecommunications Agency to restrict access to X. Now, four other justices have aligned themselves with the ruling that is still subject to another vote by all 11 justices.
The ban was issued because X refused to block certain accounts and to name a legal representative in Brazil. The ban was ordered after Elon Musk refused to comply with court orders, and since then, four other justices have lined up behind the decision.
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Starlink, operated by SpaceX, said it would not respect the ban until an unfreezing of its assets by the court. Although banned, X was still accessible over Starlink.
This has created a rush of new accounts on competing sites as users turn to other options for social media. News organisation Poder360 says its X account will from now on be managed exclusively from Portugal with respect to the judge's decision.
According to Poder360, the court order gave five days for internet providers and app stores to take preliminary measures to block access to X in the country, setting the deadline for Wednesday, September 4th.
