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[global times special correspondent li yi and wang yi] according to the associated press report on august 31, due to its refusal to comply with the ruling of brazilian supreme court judge alexander de morais, the social media platform x (formerly twitter) owned by american technology tycoon elon musk was banned by the brazilian government. brazil's national telecommunications administration has asked domestic internet service providers to suspend users' access to the platform from august 31. brazil's rio times said that this judicial conflict is "part of a broader struggle between musk and the brazilian government."

musk and the brazilian supreme court have a long history of feuding. according to the british newspaper the guardian, after the riots in brasilia, the capital of brazil, caused by supporters of former president bolsonaro in 2023, de morais has been pushing for the x platform to "clear anti-democratic and far-right voices." the associated press reported that musk and de morais have been at loggerheads because of their unwillingness to comply with brazilian regulatory requirements. in april 2024, de morais listed musk as a target in an investigation into "spreading false news," and the latter kept posting articles on social media to criticize the judge. the guardian said that musk's attack on de morais was "childish and vulgar," reminiscent of his verbal attack on british prime minister starmer during the recent riots in the uk.

according to the rio times, on august 17, x said that due to de morais' "threat" to arrest x's legal representative in brazil, the platform decided to close its office in brazil. on august 28, local time, the brazilian supreme court issued a subpoena signed by de morais, requiring x to appoint a new legal representative in brazil within 24 hours, otherwise its services in brazil would be suspended, but musk did not respond. on august 30, the ruling officially came into effect.

in addition to banning the services of x platform, de morais also ordered the freezing of the bank account of musk's "starlink" company in brazil. he said that "starlink" and x company belong to the same capital group, and x company's account in brazil does not have enough funds to pay the fine.

the associated press reported that de morais said his ruling was in line with brazilian law. brazilian law requires internet service companies to establish representatives in brazil in order to accept relevant court rulings and cooperate with actions. he wrote in his ruling on august 30: "elon musk has no respect for brazilian sovereignty - especially (brazilian) judicial institutions. he has established himself as a true supranational entity, not subject to the laws of various countries." de morais said that until he complies with the order, the x platform will continue to be banned in brazil. brazilian president lula also expressed his dissatisfaction with musk on august 30: "who does he think he is? like everyone who invests in brazil, he must abide by the constitution, brazilian laws and the rulings of the supreme court."

according to the guardian, after the sanctions were issued, x ceo icarino responded, "this is a sad day for x platform users around the world, especially brazilian users who cannot access the platform." x said they believe judge de morais' ban order is illegal. musk posted that brazil's "fake judges" are destroying freedom of speech for political purposes.

after the x platform service was stopped, a large number of brazilians subsequently turned to bluesky, a competitor of the x platform. according to the bbc, bluesky welcomed 1 million new brazilian users in three days. according to the argentine newspaper page xii, lula also posted his personal information on bluesky as soon as possible.

brazil's o globo reported that de morais' decision was supported by the majority of the brazilian supreme court. they believed that the measure to suspend x platform was "serious" and that the implementation of the ban was "necessary" given its repeated failure to comply with brazilian regulations. the supreme court said that x company had many opportunities to show sincerity and comply with the supreme court's orders, but the company did not do so. the judges of the brazilian supreme court believed that x company's disrespect for the country could not continue. according to page xii, de morais said that if this situation of "impunity" continued, it would be no different from giving up the exercise of national sovereignty.

the guardian reported that brazilian left-wing congresswoman erica hilton wrote on social media: "if billionaires want to own companies that can make billions of dollars in these places, they need to learn to respect (local) laws." many brazilians also expressed appreciation for the ruling. at the same time, right-wing figures in brazil also expressed their support for musk.

according to the rio times, the legal dispute between x and the brazilian government highlights the challenges between technology companies and national governance, and the "balance between national sovereignty, legal norms and digital freedom" remains controversial. the report also said that the ruling also reflects the challenges faced by multinational companies in brazil, which may arouse the concerns of international investors and bring uncertainty to brazil's economy. according to the new york times, the ban on x is one of the biggest challenges musk has faced so far in his efforts to transform the x platform into a "digital square where almost anything can be done."