Tweeting can now cost Brazilians up to $9,000 a day, as Brazil's federal police (the country's equivalent of the FBI) have been empowered to investigate users who protested a nationwide ban on Elon Musk's social network X (formerly Twitter). The penalty for using X during the ban is equivalent to nearly three years' wages for a minimum wage earner.
“I order the Federal Police to investigate serious cases of the use of ‘X',” said an order filed by Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moras last week. The judge ordered federal police to identify anyone who posted tweets after the ban and “if the behavior is sustained or repeated.” Federal investigators are looking into cases of use and abuse without providing further details on the methods used to identify infringers.
High-profile politicians, including former President Jair Bolsonaro's son and Senator Marcos do Val, are under investigation for using VPNs, according to a report by Brazilian media Metropolis. Investigators are focusing on the digital footprints left by these people, and the fines could be higher if they repeatedly breach the bans.
Not surprisingly, legal concerns and growing penalties create a tense environment for many Brazilians. A Brazilian X user who logged into the forum via VPN after being disconnected expressed his anxiety about using X for work. “I don't know how the federal police investigation works, and I can't even pay 10% of that daily fine, but I have to make do,” the user told Decrypt.
Even Elon Musk is having second thoughts after being hit with a $4.2 million fine, and seems to be looking for a way to end the free speech fight that began in August. That's when Musk shut down X's offices in the country and refused to comply with a court order demanding X delete more than 100 accounts accused of being involved in spreading misinformation or spreading hate about the legitimacy of the 2022 election results.
More recently, the judge likened de Moraes to Harry Potter villain Voldemort and concluded by recommending that Brazilians use VPNs to circumvent the ban.
But Musk reversed course on Friday, when X suddenly began complying with the court order. Rachel de Oliveira has reappointed Villa Nova Concepción as X's legal representative in Brazil, a month after he resigned for “personal matters.” However, X's case was still being reviewed by the Supreme Court on Monday, which had yet to officially confirm whether the necessary documents had been received.
As X struggles to comply with Brazilian court orders, many users have already jumped ship. Following the ban on the platform, millions of Brazilians migrated to Bluesky, a decentralized platform founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Bluesky's user base rose to over 10 million in a matter of days, marking a significant growth.
Some ex-X users say they probably won't go back even if the Musk platform is restored. “It's so toxic it kills my mood,” says Matt Bixler, a former X user who migrated to Bluesky.
Still, others want to back off because it's the biggest platform of its kind. And, in typical Brazilian fashion, some social media “refugees” are making fun of the whole thing.
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