Brazil's ban on Musk's X and his feud with Justice Alexandre de Moraes
Gone quiet · last story Oct 8, 2024
Brazil's Supreme Court blocked Elon Musk's social media platform X nationwide for more than a month in 2024, after a feud between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes over orders to suspend accounts.[1][2]
What this arc covers
Elon Musk's 2024 clash with Brazil's Supreme Court: his feud with Justice Alexandre de Moraes over orders to block accounts, X's closure of its office in Brazil, the court's August ban on the platform, the fines on X and Starlink, users' move to rival platforms, and X's return in October after complying with the court.
Earliest story we hold Apr 8, 2024 · 10 stories · 64 independent sources (counted once each) · 183 days
Background
Musk clashed with Moraes from April 2024 over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation on X.[3] In August, X said it would close its operations in Brazil, claiming that Moraes had threatened to arrest its legal representative there if it did not comply with his orders.[4] After Musk refused to name a legal representative in the country, Moraes ordered X suspended nationwide,[1] and a panel of the court unanimously upheld the order.[5] Musk said Brazil had also frozen the assets of his satellite internet company, Starlink, which then said it would comply with the order to block X.[6] Bluesky said it had added two million users in Brazil in a week,[7] and the court imposed daily fines on X and Starlink for allegedly evading the ban.[8] Brazil lifted the ban in October after Musk complied with all of the court's demands.[2]
Supporting stories (8)
- A Brazilian Supreme Court judge blocks X in Brazil, in a dispute with Elon Musk
- Elon Musk's X is back in Brazil after its suspension, having complied with all judicial demands
- Musk feuds with Brazilian top judge over X – DW
- X shuts Brazil operations over 'censorship' orders: Musk – DW
- Brazil Supreme Court panel unanimously upholds judge’s decision to block X nationwide
- Musk's Starlink backtracks and says it will comply with judge's order to block X in Brazil
- Social media platform Bluesky attracts millions in Brazil after judge bans Musk's X
- Elon Musk's X and Starlink face nearly $1 million in daily fines for alleged ban evasion in Brazil
Overview updated Oct 8, 2026
Part of Elon Musk
- Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and its transformation into XAug 22, 2022 – Oct 2, 2024
- Tesla's backlash over Musk's politics and his $1 trillion pay packageNov 14, 2022 – Oct 2, 2026
- Brazil's ban on Musk's X and his feud with Justice Alexandre de MoraesThis arcApr 8 – Oct 8, 2024
- Elon Musk in Trump's government: DOGE, his exit and their feudMay 29, 2024 – Sep 15, 2026
Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning
Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below
- Apr 8 – 11, 2024Musk feuds with Brazilian top judge over X – DW20 articles · 18 independent sources
- Apr 8, 2024Brazilian judge opens investigation into Elon Musk after billionaire calls for his ouster over censorship
- Apr 9, 2024Musk defies Brazilian court order to de-platform right-wing activists
- Aug 29 – 31, 2024A Brazilian Supreme Court judge blocks X in Brazil, in a dispute with Elon Musk68 articles · 38 independent sources
- Aug 29, 2024Judge suspends Elon Musk’s X in Brazil after it refuses to name a legal representative
- Aug 31, 2024Top Brazilian judge orders suspension of X platform amid feud with Elon Musk
- Aug 29 – Sep 5, 2024With Musk's X banned in Brazil, its users carve out new digital homes40 articles · 25 independent sources
- Aug 30, 2024Brazil blocks Musk’s X amid feud with judge
- Sep 1, 2024Only lean-right coverage:Brazil bans X: Outrage spreads after Elon Musk's social media platform is suspended
- Sep 3, 2024Brazil's Supreme Court upholds nationwide ban of Elon Musk's X
- Aug 30 – Sep 3, 2024Brazil Supreme Court panel unanimously upholds judge’s decision to block X nationwide41 articles · 29 independent sources
- Oct 8 – 9, 2024Elon Musk's X is back in Brazil after its suspension, having complied with all judicial demands46 articles · 32 independent sources
Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side
LeftCenterRight
Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.
Every week as a table
| Week of | Left | Center | Right | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2024 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Aug 12, 2024 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Aug 26, 2024 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 84 |
| Sep 2, 2024 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 79 |
| Sep 16, 2024 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Oct 7, 2024 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 40 |
Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.
22% left · 56% center · 22% right of 64 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 10 stories.
Every storyoldest first
April 2024
Apr 8– 11Musk feuds with Brazilian top judge over X – DW20 articles · 18 independent sources2 left, 4 center, 5 rightAugust 2024
Aug 17– 18X shuts Brazil operations over 'censorship' orders: Musk – DW13 articles · 13 independent sources2 left, 2 center, 3 right- Aug 29– Sep 5With Musk's X banned in Brazil, its users carve out new digital homes40 articles · 25 independent sources5 left, 6 center, 7 right
- Aug 29– 31A Brazilian Supreme Court judge blocks X in Brazil, in a dispute with Elon Musk68 articles · 38 independent sources7 left, 15 center, 5 right
- Aug 30– Sep 2Is Brazil’s ban of social media platform X legal or political?5 articles · 5 independent sources1 left, 0 center, 2 right
- Aug 30– Sep 3Brazil Supreme Court panel unanimously upholds judge’s decision to block X nationwide41 articles · 29 independent sources3 left, 7 center, 1 right
September 2024
Sep 2– 4Musk's Starlink backtracks and says it will comply with judge's order to block X in Brazil19 articles · 15 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 3 right- Sep 4Social media platform Bluesky attracts millions in Brazil after judge bans Musk's X9 articles · 4 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 0 right
- Sep 19Elon Musk's X and Starlink face nearly $1 million in daily fines for alleged ban evasion in Brazil7 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right
October 2024
Oct 8– 9Elon Musk's X is back in Brazil after its suspension, having complied with all judicial demands46 articles · 32 independent sources4 left, 10 center, 3 right