by Harold Hutchison
A Brazilian judge ordered the government to carry out a criminal probe of Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday, according to multiple media reports.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the inclusion of Musk in a probe into alleged “fake news,” accusing Musk of “obstruction,” CBS News reported. Musk announced his intention to defy orders from de Moraes to censor the accounts Saturday, then pinned a post urging users to acquire a VPN app to ensure access to the social media site.
“We are lifting all restrictions. This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees and cut off access to 𝕏 in Brazil,” Musk posted on X Saturday. “As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there. But principles matter more than profit.”
Yes! So why comply? Rumble and Locals didn't. You're powerful enough to make a difference.
— Paulo Figueiredo Filho (@realpfigueiredo) April 6, 2024
“These are the most draconian demands of any country on Earth!” Musk said in a post Sunday.
Musk followed by declaring he would soon publish the demands from de Moraes.
“Coming shortly, 𝕏 will publish everything demanded by @Alexandre and how those requests violate Brazilian law,” Musk posted. “This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached. Shame @Alexandre, shame.”
Coming shortly, 𝕏 will publish everything demanded by @Alexandre and how those requests violate Brazilian law.
This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached.
Shame @Alexandre, shame.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024
Musk also responded with the word “Yes” to a comment by journalist Michael Shellenberger that warned Brazil was becoming a “totalitarian dictatorship.”
Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Messias appeared to back de Moraes’s ruling with a Saturday post calling for regulation of the social media site.
“It is urgent to regulate social networks,” Messias said. “We cannot live in a society in which billionaires domiciled abroad have control of social networks and put themselves in a position to violate the rule of law, failing to comply with court orders and threatening our authorities. Social Peace is non-negotiable.”
Shellenberger posted a report Wednesday detailing censorship demands from Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court targeting the social media site in 2020, when it was known as Twitter.
BRAZIL IS ON THE BRINK
I’m reporting to you from Brazil, where a dramatic series of events are underway.
At 5:52 pm Eastern Time, today, April 6, 2024, X corporation, formerly known as Twitter, announced that a Brazilian court had forced it to “block certain popular accounts in… pic.twitter.com/GjdAgmkCBo
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) April 7, 2024
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation, but Musk did add a shot at the judge.
“Brazil’s Darth Vader,” Musk posted after a user on X posted a photo of the Brazilian judge.
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Harold Hutchison is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Elon Musk” by Defense Visual Information Distribution Service; background photo “Courtroom” by the Carol M. Highsmith Archive.
