Brazil bans Elon Musk’s X; $8,874 per day fines for VPN users

Brazil's Supreme Court announced on Friday a total ban on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after Elon Musk failed to designate a legal representative in the country, as reported by The Associated Press.

While many Brazilians are expected to use VPNs (virtual private networks) to access the platform, the Supreme Court has reportedly announced plans to impose fines on those users.

Local media reports indicate that Brazil’s Supreme Court has stated that anyone using a VPN to access Twitter/X faces fines of up to $8,874 per day. This move intensifies the ongoing dispute between Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over issues of free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation.

On Wednesday night, Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned Musk that X could face a block in Brazil if a legal representative was not appointed within the 24-hour deadline. The company has been without a representative in Brazil since earlier this month. De Moraes confirmed that the platform will remain blocked until compliance is met.

Market research firm Emarketer reports that around 40 million Brazilians, or about 20% of the population, use X at least once a month. The platform, under Musk’s leadership, had anticipated the shutdown, attributing it to its refusal to comply with what it called "illegal orders" from De Moraes to censor political opponents.

Justice Moraes has given companies such as Apple and Google a five-day period to remove X from their app stores and block its use on iOS and Android devices.

According to the judge's ruling, the ban will stay in effect until X names a new legal representative in Brazil and pays the fines for breaching Brazilian law.