Why has Brazil banned X? Which other countries have suspended the platform?

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the suspension of X, formerly known as Twitter, after a months-long legal battle between the social media giant’s owner Elon Musk, and the Brazilian authorities.

The company failed to meet a deadline set by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes to name a new legal representative in the country following which the top court on Friday ordered an “immediate and complete suspension” of the social media platform.

Further, the judge has also threatened a fine of 50,000 reais (Rs. 7.47 lakh) to anyone who used “technological subterfuges” to get around the block, such as a VPN or the virtual private network.

With 40 million Brazilian users affected, the platform is set to go dark within 24 hours and will remain suspended until it complies with all court orders and settles existing fines.

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The row began in April, with the judge ordering the suspension of dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation, which X did not comply with.

In response to the suspension, Elon Musk said: “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes."

Brazil now joins the growing list of countries that have banned or suspended X. Here’s a closer look

China

In 2009, China banned X, then known as Twitter, along with Facebook, Flickr, and Hotmail. This move followed the Uyghur protests in the northwest city of Urumqi, where demonstrations against racial discrimination escalated into riots.

The Chinese government suspected X was being used to organise the unrest and spread misinformation. In a move to curb further conflict, they decided to entirely ban the platform.

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“Twitter is a tool which can put all the sensitive things and sensitive guys together, very quickly. That’s the very thing that the Chinese government doesn’t want to see in China,” blogger Michael Anti was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Over the years, the censorship of Western internet platforms, known as The Great Firewall of China, became increasingly stringent.

Russia

The social media platform has been facing troubles ever since 2022, when Russian authorities intensified their crackdown on dissent and free media following President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.

The Russian government had restricted access to X, Meta’s Facebook, and Instagram as well as blocked several independent Russian-language media outlets critical of the Kremlin.

In 2021, Moscow slowed down X’s speed as a punitive measure, citing the site’s failure to remove what it said was illegal content.

Russia has been tightening its control over the internet and big tech companies for years. Critics argue that these measures threaten individual and corporate freedoms and are part of a broader crackdown on Kremlin opponents.

Iran

In 2009, Iran banned X, then Twitter, following protests against the disputed presidential election results that declared hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

Tech-savvy Iranians used X to organise protests and share vivid accounts of the events, earning the term “Twitter Revolution” from many journalists.

Author and columnist Reza Aslan told PBS that Iranians are in the midst of two revolutions. “There’s the one on the streets…” said Aslan. “But there’s also a revolution taking place in cyberspace."

The Iranian government blocked X and other social media platforms to prevent the organisation of further protests. Ironically, while the platform remains blocked for the general public, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, continues to maintain an account on X.

Myanmar

After a military coup took power in Myanmar in 2021, the rulers ordered mobile networks and internet service providers to block X and Instagram, owned by Facebook.

Social media users had been using these platforms to protest the coup, sharing photos of themselves giving the three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance in the region. They also used pro-democracy hashtags to criticise the military’s takeover and the detention of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology claimed that the Facebook block was for the sake of “stability.”

North Korea

In 2016, North Korea officially announced it was blocking X, along with Facebook, YouTube, and several South Korean websites, to tighten control over outside information.

The announcement added that anyone who tries to hack onto such sites, access them in an “improper” way, or distribute “anti-republic data” from them will be subject to punishment under North Korean law, The Guardian reported.

Despite an estimated 2 million North Koreans using mobile phones, internet access is largely restricted to officials, technicians, or those with special permission, usually under close supervision.

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan 

In 2018, Turkmenistan blocked social media apps like X, WhatsApp, and Facebook, as well as foreign news and opposition websites.

As one of the world’s most isolated regimes, Turkmenistan ranks low in global rights and press freedom indices, with many platforms “often inaccessible.”

However, that same year, the country introduced its first privately developed messaging app, BizBarde. The state Yaslyk television station said it “allows the exchange of messengers, files, photos, and videos.”

X is also banned in Uzbekistan, consistent with the region’s strict censorship rules.

With input from agencies