Tech billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday that freedom of speech is under vigorous attack globally after a Supreme Court Justice in Brazil ordered a national block on his social media platform X.
The block was put in place after X refused to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
Musk retaliated with a statement, claiming the Brazilian government was shuttering the "top source of truth" in the country.
As Musk, himself an avid user of Twitter, put it: "The oppressive regime in Brazil is so scared of the people finding out the truth that they will declare bankruptcy on anyone who tries."
He also warned his followers, "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 platform X of Musk has been engaged in a months-long dispute with Justice de Moraes over refusal to comply with court orders to take down accounts that allegedly promote coup-related content or undermine democracy, the news agency Xinhua reported.
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court had also levied total fines of 18 million reais, about $3.2 million, for non-compliance.
De Moraes censored X for "the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, which made possible Nazi, racist, fascist, hate and anti-democratic discourses," especially in view of the upcoming elections.
He ordered the National Telecommunications Agency to block access to X within 24 hours and gave Apple and Google five days to remove the X app from their stores.
Musk continued, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is crushing it for political reasons.
Read also| Brazilian Supreme Court Issues Nationwide Ban on Social Media Platform X
