The monthlong feud between Elon Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation led to the suspension of social media giant X in the country. Raising concern over the issue, the tech billionaire said that the same situation would happen in America if Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris came into power.
The suspension of Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, in Brazil was preceded by the top court's order blocking bank accounts of Starlink services. Elon Musk's SpaceX operates a widespread satellite internet network. Musk, who is a vocal supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump, recently shared a post on X saying, “The attacks this year on free speech are unprecedented in the 21st century. It will happen in America too if Kamala/Walz gain power.”
He also urged his followers to carefully listen to the statements made by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. In one of his previous tweets, Elon Musk shared another video of Kamala Harris in which she advocated the suspension of Donald Trump's account from X.
While supporting the suspension of Donald Trump's account, Kamala Harris said that he should have a sense of responsibility for his words. “Freedom of speech is under massive attack around the world,” read another post by Elon Musk.
Before taking action against Elon Musk's X, Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned him on Wednesday night that X could be blocked in Brazil if he failed to comply with his order to name a representative and established a 24-hour deadline. The company hasn't had a representative in the country since earlier this month.
“Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country,” AP quoted de Moraes's statement mentioned in his decision.
