What happened?

  • Justice Alexandre de Moraes, A Brazilian Supreme Court justice, has opened an investigation into Elon Musk and the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for alleged dissemination of fake news, obstruction of justice, criminal organization, and incitement. [foxnews.com, dailycaller.com, breitbart.com, newsmax.com, apnews.com, cnbc.com, news.sky.com, nbcnews.com, cnn.com, latimes.com, theguardian.com, businessinsider.com]
  • The justice has demanded access to X’s internal user data, which Musk has said would violate the platform’s privacy policies. [breitbart.com, newsmax.com, foxnews.com, dailycaller.com, apnews.com, cnbc.com, news.sky.com]
  • Musk has accused the justice of suppressing free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution, and has threatened to defy the judge’s orders to censor accounts. [foxnews.com, dailycaller.com, breitbart.com, newsmax.com, apnews.com, cnbc.com, news.sky.com, latimes.com, cnn.com, nbcnews.com]
  • Musk has called for de Moraes to resign or be impeached, saying: “This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil.” [apnews.com, cnbc.com, news.sky.com]
  • The justice has ordered Musk to pay fines of 100,000 reais (£15,700) per day for each account that X reinstates against the court’s orders. [news.sky.com]
  • Brazil’s communications minister, Paulo Pimenta, said “Brazil is not the jungle of impunity and our sovereignty will not be subordinate to the power of internet platforms or the business model of big tech.” [news.sky.com]

What is Conservative media saying?

  • The justice has a history of cracking down on social media platforms and has used the “anti-democratic digital militias” inquiry to conduct a probe into allegations that former president Bolsonaro falsified vaccination documents. [breitbart.com]
  • Both Lula and the justice have called for the regulation of social media in Brazil, and the justice has described the use of mass media as one of the “big problems” of modern democracies. [breitbart.com, newsmax.com]
  • Brazil has been compelling U.S. tech companies to silence critics of the leftist government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, deleting the accounts of journalists and elected members of Brazil’s parliament who backed former President Jair Bolsonaro. [washingtontimes.com]
  • Musk says he will no longer give in to ongoing censorship demands issued by the justice, who has “brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil.” [washingtontimes.com]

What is Liberal media saying?

  • Brazil’s attorney general has called for social media platforms in the country to be regulated, stating that billionaires domiciled abroad have control of social networks and can violate the rule of law. [cnn.com, nbcnews.com, latimes.com]
  • The current Brazilian government has criticized Musk and called for regulation of social media, stating that “social peace is non-negotiable”, and senior members of Lula’s administration have condemned Musk’s interventions. [theguardian.com, businessinsider.com]

Sources:

  • Fox News
  • The Daily Caller
  • Breitbart
  • Newsmax
  • The Washington Times
  • Associated Press (AP)
  • CNBC
  • Sky News
  • NBC News
  • CNN
  • Los Angeles Times
  • The Guardian
  • Business Insider