Brazil’s Supreme Court has announced X users will be issued a fine of up to $8,874 per day if they use a VPN to access the app.
The country is the latest to ban the social media platform – which came into effect on August 31 – after Elon Musk refused to name a legal representative amid their ongoing feud.
Brazil’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes has accused Musk’s platform of being used to spread defamatory fake news, with the ban set to remain in place unless the owner of X complies with demands.
Now, Brazilian residents will be restricted from accessing the social media platform and will face hefty fines if caught using a VPN to bypass the ban.
Brazil’s attorney general Jorge Messias took to X himself to share a statement on the ban, insisting the need to “regulate” social networks was “urgent”.
“We cannot live in a society in which billionaires domiciled abroad have control of social networks and put themselves in a position to violate the rule of law, failing to comply with court orders and threatening our authorities.”
However, Musk has made clear his position on the matter: dubbing Alexandre “Brazil’s Voldemort” and stating the ban is direct censorship and suppression of free speech.
The Tesla CEO went on a rampage following the ban, repeatedly posting about Brazil and Alexandre on X, and calling for an end to the “oppressive regime”.
At one point, Musk retweeted a post pointing out that the potential fines for citizens accessing X in Brazil were “over 528% more than their monthly income”.
“The oppressive regime in Brazil is so afraid of the people learning the truth that they will bankrupt anyone who tries,” Musk claimed.
As of now, it remains unclear how Brazil’s Supreme Court intends to detect VPNs used to access X, or how the fines will be enforced.