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X Platform BANNED: $8,900 Daily Fine for NON-COMPLIANCE

We have covered this as it unfolded over the past few weeks.  I’ll link to the four most recent stories we’ve published at the bottom of this article for anyone who wants to dig deeper into what led us here.

——————

The ongoing fight for free speech continues on the world stage, and the expected has happened:  The platform formerly known as Twitter, now known simply as X, is now BANNED in Brazil.

With big personalities involved and global ramifications for free speech playing out, this is a super heated scenario.  And since it all revolves around social media platforms, let me begin with the X.com post that broke the news for me.

Here is a quick summary from Reuters to bring you up to speed:

Brazil’s telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was suspending access to Elon Musk’s X social network in the country to comply with an order from a judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.

The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

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Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge has insisted that social media needs hate speech regulations.

If that seems like familiar language — “hate speech regulations” — it’s probably because that is the same argument being used in the U.S. (and just about every other nation at the moment, ie: France…) to push for a “regulated” version of free speech.  On that note, I want to show you a 35 second video from about 8 months ago.  Three guys talking about what they expect to happen, and why.  And… it is happening:

“People are saying things on Twitter (X.com) that you’re not allowed to say.” -Charlie Kirk

So on one hand we have a Brazilian federal judge sending an order down to X.com for it to comply with previous edicts of that high court, simple matters of legality… and on the other hand we have Elon Musk treating the situation just as it is; forced censorship of the political rivals of the governing party.  (Yes, that probably sounds familiar, too.  And yes, I meant to show my bias.  Truth in advertising, and all.)

And true to character, here is one of the many public responses Elon Musk had to these events today:

As serious as the situation is, and as telling as it may be for free speech issues coming down the line in the U.S. — I can’t help but revel in the bold audacity of Elon Musk in dealing with this judge.  Yesterday, he called the judge in question Voldemort.  And then he shared things like this:

Okay, back to the serious issues at hand.  And believe me, the farther you go down the rabbit hole on this, the more complicated it gets.  I’m not even going to try to unravel the full tangled ball of yarn in this one article.  (We can all breath a sigh of relief, because trust me, it gets complicated, fast.)

But I do want to cover the basics of today’s events thoroughly, because in the future I plan on exploring those rabbit holes — and we’ll need a good starting point.  (Which is why those four previous articles will be linked below!)

Here is a little more detail on what unfolded throughout the day from an article on PCMag:

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court officially pounded its gavel on X Friday afternoon, ordering an “immediate and complete” suspension of the service throughout the country.

The decision by Judge Alexandre de Moraes orders Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency to take measures to ensure X’s suspension and directs Apple and Google to block use of X’s apps, including removing them from their app stores. It also sets a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian reals, about $8,900, for people and companies that use “technological subterfuges” (presumably, VPNs) to evade the ban.

So in response to Elon Musk’s LACK of response in complying with the previous order to name an official “legal representative” in Brazil (you know… a liaison through which government Officials could keep better watch over things at the social media platform, and more easily leverage their own agenda through legal means?)… the judge ordered several things to happen:

  • The complete block of the X platform from inside Brazil, to be carried out by the National Telecommunications Agency.
  • Apple and Google to block the use of X’s apps, including the complete removal from their app stores.
  • Imposed fine of the equivalent of $8,900 USD for anyone trying to get around the ban.

To which, Elon Musk pointed out that X.com is the top favored news app in Brazil, and said, “They’re shutting down the #1 source of truth in Brazil.”  And I have to agree, after searching quite a few of the rabbit holes involved — that is exactly what it looks like to me.

As the day progressed, Elon had a suggestion.  What if people simple didn’t comply?

So let’s bring it all back home and make a little sense of this.  What does this have to do… with anything?  There are those who would (and probably will, in the comments) make the argument that this is just one rich “big wig” puffing out his chest at another “big wig”, and that’s all.

Maybe.

Let me quote just one simple line from a Fox Business article earlier today:

Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts implicated in probes of so-called digital militias accused of spreading distorted news and hate.

Digital militias?  Distorted news and hate?  Wow.  That sounds to me like you don’t like your political opponents much.  It sounds like you want certain social media accounts to be banned… because they are saying things that you don’t agree with.

Remember that little 35 second clip we watched earlier?  “People are saying things on Twitter (X.com) that you’re not allowed to say.” -Charlie Kirk

For now, I’ll leave you with one more video.  I don’t mean to tease you with “more to come” – honestly, I think this guy answers quite a bit in this video.  This is Mike Benz.  You may have seen his discussion with Tucker Carlson recently.  If not, he is former State Department, and has claimed to have very intricate knowledge of ongoing subversive operations being conducted by the U.S. State Department in the realm of censorship across the globe.

I think he knows what he’s talking about.  And I think we would all do well to heed the warnings he has been issuing about the threats to our freedoms coming from our own government — which may actually be the driving force behind what is happening in Brazil with X.com (formerly Twitter).

Is what we’re seeing a preview of things to come in the United States, depending on who wins the vote come November?  Mike Benz thinks it is.  And I have a feeling he’s right, if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz somehow end up in the White House once all is said and done.

And that may be the best reason of all why these events are important.  We may very well be watching the test run of the potential playbook ultimately designed to be used against you and I.

As promised, here are our four most recent reports leading up to today’s news for anyone who wants to dig deeper.  Be sure to check back – I’m sure the next steps in this drama will be just as spicy as today’s.

———-

JUST IN: Elon Musk Faces Off Against Brazilian Government, CRIMINAL PROBE Launched

X Closes Office In Brazil, Musk Calls Decision “Difficult”

Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes Threatens to Shut Down X

UPDATE: Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Blocks Starlink Financial Accounts In Country


 

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