Brazil: one judge blocks X for 22 million people
From 30 August to 8 October 2024, X was blocked across Brazil — ordered by a single Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes. The price of lifting it: millions in fines, blocked accounts, a legal representative. And VPN users faced daily fines of up to 50,000 reais.
Summary
After Elon Musk refused to block accounts targeted by Moraes’ “digital militia” investigations, the justice ordered a nationwide block on 30.08.2024. When X did not pay fines or name a representative, Moraes froze Starlink assets and the government collected R$18.35M from X/Starlink. After X paid ~R$28M (≈US$5.2M), named a representative and blocked the accounts, the block was lifted on 8 October 2024. One judge decided the speech access of 22 million Brazilians — in fast-track proceedings with no effective appeal against him.
Timeline
- 30.08.2024 — nationwide block ordered; R$18.3M in fines outstanding
- 13.09.2024 — Starlink accounts frozen; R$18.35M collected
- 08.10.2024 — block lifted: fines paid (~R$28M total), representative named, accounts blocked
Debunking
False: “Musk won.” — X paid the fines, named the representative, and blocked the accounts. The blockade ended through compliance, not vindication.
Sources
- STF (Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal): “STF determina suspensão do X, antigo Twitter, em todo o território nacional” — the 30.08.2024 order itself, from the court.
- STF press release on the digital-militias inquiry — the inquiry into which X and Musk were placed.
- U.S. Treasury press release: “Treasury Sanctions Alexandre de Moraes” — the U.S. government’s own document on the case (sanctions, later lifted) — official primary source on the international dimension.
- Indication (press, not evidence): AP News, BBC, Wikipedia: Blocking of X in Brazil — press/secondary; the R$18.35M / ~R$28M / block-lift figures should be verified against the STF orders and ANPD/court records, which is where press got them.