Brazil's Ban on X and Heavy Fines for Accessing the Platform
Brazil has imposed a nationwide ban on X, formerly known as Twitter. Furthermore, the government has decided to impose a hefty daily fine of $9000 for citizens who use VPNs to access the platform. This is a significant move as X has been a primary source of news for Brazilians. Now, they are left with only government-approved sources, unless they are willing to risk financial ruin to access unrestricted information.
Crackdown on X
The Guardian has reported that these heavy fines are part of a broader crackdown on attempts to access news through X. The crackdown includes directives to all Apple stores to remove X from their new phones. This move aligns Brazil with China in their efforts to establish a censorship wall between citizens and unregulated information.
Testing Ground for Anti-Free Speech Movement
Brazil is seen as a significant testing ground for the anti-free speech movement. European censors have been arresting CEOs like Pavel Durov and threatening Elon Musk. However, Brazil's actions signal a new era of censorship where entire nations may block access to sites that uphold free speech values or unrestricted news. If successful, this model could be replicated by other countries.
Censorship's Failure
Despite the current alliance of government, corporate, academic, and media interest against free speech, censorship is failing. Citizens are still using X and resisting censorship, as was evident in Brazil where citizens preferred X over regulated news sources. The response has been to threaten citizens with financial ruin if they seek unrestricted news.
Leftist Government's Censorship Efforts
The conflict began with demands to censor supporters of the conservative former president Jair Bolsonaro. When X refused these demands, the courts moved towards a national ban. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has used censorship to combat what he or the government deems as "fake news" or disinformation, is leading this effort. Together with socialist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, they are the dream team of the anti-free speech movement.
Reaction to the Ban
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded to the ban with a posting declaring “Obrigado Brasil!” or “Thanks, Brazil!” Ironically, he did so on X. Ellison has previously praised the anti-free speech group Antifa and promised that it would “strike fear in the heart” of Donald Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence and its website was banned in Germany.
Antifa's Stance on Free Speech
Antifa is fundamentally a movement at war with free speech, defining the right itself as a tool of oppression. This purpose is evident in what is called the “bible” of the Antifa movement: Rutgers Professor Mark Bray’s Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook. Bray emphasizes the struggle of the movement against free speech and admits that "free speech" as such is merely a bourgeois fantasy unworthy of consideration.
Bottom Line
The question remains whether Brazil will become a nightmare for free speech around the world as other nations seek to force citizens to read and hear news from approved, state-monitored sites. This situation is a stark reminder of the importance of free speech and the lengths to which some governments will go to control information. What are your thoughts on this situation? Share this article with your friends and let us know your views. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
