Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter, has found himself in hot water with the Brazilian Supreme Court.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes has named Musk as a target in an ongoing investigation into the spread of fake news and has even opened a separate investigation into Musk for alleged obstruction of justice.
Here’s what happened. The justice accused Musk waging a public “disinformation campaign” Saturday against the Supreme Court’s actions. He even threatened that X, formerly known as Twitter, would stop complying with the court’s orders to block certain accounts.
Justice de Moraes said that Musk disrespected Brazil’s sovereignty and amounted to obstruction of justice, incitement of crime, and public threats of disobedience.
Musk will be investigated for alleged criminal use of X across borders, as part of an investigation into networks of people known as “digital militias” accused of spreading defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices, according to the text of the decision.
The political right in Brazil has long accused Justice de Moraes of overstepping his bounds and restricting free speech, but his supporters say his actions are necessary to combat the spread of fake news and protect Brazilian democracy. The country is still reeling from the Jan. 8, 2023, riot in the capitol — eerily similar to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the U.S.
Although he has nixed certain accounts from Twitter, Musk has described himself as free speech absolutist. He has vowed to lift all restrictions on blocked accounts in Brazil, even if it means losing revenue and shutting down X’s local office. He claims that the court’s demands are the most draconian of any country on Earth.
But Justice de Moraes isn’t backing down. He’s warned that each blocked account X reactivates will result in a daily fine of $20,000, and those responsible will be held legally accountable.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.