San Francisco, Aug 31, 2024, IANS

San Francisco, Aug 31 (IANS) Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday said that freedom of speech is under massive attack around the world, after Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered to block his social media platform X nationwide. The order came after the company refused to appoint a legal representative in the country. Musk hit back, saying they are shutting down the "top source of truth" in Brazil. “The oppressive regime in Brazil is so afraid of the people learning the truth that they will bankrupt anyone who tries,” said the billionaire. “Just a reminder that you can always access this platform via X.com, even on your phone. No app is needed. Now would also be a good time to download a VPN in case you get blocked,” the X owner told his millions of followers. Musk-owned X has been in conflict with de Moraes for months over the platform's refusal to comply with court orders to remove profiles that promote coup-related content or undermine democracy, Xinhua news agency reported. The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court has also ordered X to pay fines amounting to 18 million reais (about $3.2 million) for non-compliance. De Moraes said that X has facilitated "the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, enabling the spread of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech", particularly ahead of the upcoming elections. The Brazilian judge also instructed the country's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block access to X within 24 hours. Apple and Google have been given five days to remove the X app from their online stores. Musk said: “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes”.