Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has issued a strong warning to tech companies, emphasizing that compliance with Brazilian laws is mandatory for operating in the country. Moraes, who recently ordered the temporary suspension of X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, stated that the court will not permit the monetization of hate speech.
“In Brazil, (the companies) will only continue to operate if they respect Brazilian legislation, regardless of the rant of Big Tech managers,” Moraes said, as per news agency Reuters.
Moraes ‘warning’ comes a day after Meta’s suspension of fact-checkers
While Moraes did not name any specific company, his remarks came shortly after Meta announced plans to discontinue its US fact-checking program and loosen restrictions on discussions surrounding controversial topics.
Moraes, speaking at an event commemorating the second anniversary of the January 8 riots in Brazil, underscored the importance of respecting Brazilian legislation, regardless of the opinions of Big Tech executives.
Meanwhile, Brazilian prosecutors have requested clarification from Meta regarding whether the changes to its fact-checking program in the US will also apply to Brazil. Meta has been given 30 days to respond as part of an ongoing investigation into online misinformation and violence.
Moraes suspended X in Brazil
On August 30, 2024, Moraes ordered the suspension of X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil, accusing the platform of failing to comply with local laws requiring the appointment of a legal representative in the country.
This decision resulted in a complete shutdown of X’s operations in Brazil. Major tech companies like Apple and Google, along with Brazilian internet service providers (ISPs), blocked access to the platform for their users, effectively cutting off millions of Brazilians from the social media service.
The suspension, initially ordered by Moraes and later unanimously upheld by a Supreme Court panel, led to a clash between Moraes and X owner Elon Musk, who criticised the judge’s actions as censorship.
