Latin America

Ryan Morgan
By Ryan Morgan
September 7, 2024

Thousands of Brazilians gathered in Sao Paulo on Sept. 7 to protest the Brazilian Supreme Court’s recent decision to impose a nationwide ban on the X social media app.

The protests coincided with Brazilian Independence Day celebrations, and many in attendance wore the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag as they expressed support for X and free speech rights more broadly, and called for lawmakers to impeach Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Elon Musk, who owns X, has contested orders from the Brazilian government over content moderation. De Moraes has repeatedly called on X to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation, but Musk—who has positioned himself as a free-speech proponent—has accused the Brazilian jurist of engaging in censorship.

Last week, de Moraes ordered X’s operations in Brazil shuttered until the social media company names a legal representative for its operations in the country. The judge also imposed a daily fine of about $8,900 on those attempting to access the site via a virtual private network (VPN), or by other means.

More:
https://www.ntd.com/thousands-protest-in-sao-paulo-against-x-ban-in-brazil_1015615.html