Brazil Bans Social Media Platform X: A Familiar Story to India
The top court in Brazil recently shocked the online world by imposing a nationwide ban on X, the social media behemoth owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. This escalated row between a tech giant and the judiciary bears an uncanny resemblance to events that unfolded in India around three years ago.
Over the past few months, tensions had been simmering between X and Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court. In April, the judge ordered dozens of X accounts to be blocked for allegedly spreading misinformation. While X initially complied, Musk quickly reversed this, unleashing the chain of events that ultimately led to a complete shutdown of the platform in Brazil.
Justice de Moraes issued repeated warnings and deadlines for X to follow local laws and appoint a legal representative, all of which went unheeded by the company. On the final deadline day, with no option left, the Supreme Court banned X across Brazil, directing app stores to remove it. Musk cried censorship and vowed to fight for free speech.
The storyline seems all too familiar for India, where Twitter found itself embroiled in a protracted legal tussle around the same time. Non-compliance with government blocking orders and intermediary guidelines had threatened to revoke Twitter's immunity. It also refused demands to locally appoint executives, fueling a David vs Goliath saga with authorities.
Both cases reflect the global tension between big tech and sovereignty. With regulations getting stricter worldwide, more showdowns loom on the horizon between social media and nation states trying to assert control over interconnected digital ecosystems. Only time will tell who blinks first.
