The social media platform X has been blocked in Brazil since Saturday, August 31, following a decision by the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court. Internet users who connect using a virtual private network (VPN) are liable to a daily fine of 50,000 reais (€8,000). The decision was the result of a standoff between the Brazilian justice system, which had requested the blocking of seven accounts, and X, which opted to close its office in the country in an attempt to circumvent the request. The conflict also resulted in Musk nicknaming Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes "Voldemort" − Harry Potter's nemesis.

Yet ever since he bought Twitter for around $44 billion at the end of 2022, Musk has, on numerous occasions, agreed to block accounts on the platform at the request of courts, even doing so directly after being ordered by governments, without a court ruling. In March 2023, Twitter blocked 122 accounts, including some belonging to Indian opposition politicians and journalists, at the request of Narendra Modi's government. In February 2024, the platform agreed to block an additional 42 accounts, as the country faced a widespread farmers' protest movement, while announcing that it would challenge the decision in court.

In Turkey in May 2023, the platform also agreed to block at least four accounts at the request of the government, amid the presidential election campaign. Musk, who has regularly presented himself as a staunch defender of freedom of expression, justified the blockings at the time, explaining that the choice was either "have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets."

Beyond these two high-profile cases, Twitter − which meanwhile became X − has generally responded more favorably than in the past to government requests since its takeover by Musk. An analysis conducted by independent media outlet Rest of World noted that within six months of the takeover, the social platform responded favorably to 80% of requests for information or deletion issued by governments, compared with 50% under the previous owner. It's become difficult to gauge how the situation has changed since then: The company no longer publishes, as it used to, transparency reports detailing the requests sent to it and its responses to them.

With one exception: Brazil, the country with the fifth most X users. The company therefore created a dedicated account on Saturday, dubbed the "Alexandre Files," for posting the requests made by de Moraes. The file, about 30 pages long, shows that the Supreme Court requested the blocking of seven X accounts: Two have since been closed, while three others have only a handful of subscribers. Only two have a significant audience: those of Senator Marcos do Val (345,000 subscribers) and YouTuber Ed Raposo (325,000 subscribers). X has claimed that these blocking requests are illegal, without providing a clear legal justification.

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