Micro-blogging platform, X may soon be sanctioned and compelled to pay fines running into millions of dollars, as its billionaire owner, Elon Musk insisted on violating a Supreme Court order in Brazil.
Musk appears to be having a face-off with Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court over the latter’s ruling to ban some X users over the spreading of false news.
Moraes had ordered that the X users remain banned, citing the spreading of false news.
Displeased with the court order, Musk argued that the ruling was unconstitutional. Hence, he vowed to reinstate the banned x accounts even though it would cost him.
Musk went on to accuse Moraes of brazenly and repeatedly betraying the constitution and people of Brazil, as he pledged to legally challenge the court order.
The judge wants Musk probed
After Elon Musk refused to obey the court order, prompting Moraes to include X owner among those to be investigated in the ongoing inquiry into anti-democratic digital militias.
According to him, social media platforms aren’t lawless land and aren’t no man’s land.
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Moraes also decided to open an investigation into the conduct of the billionaire for obstruction of justice and incitement to crime while also telling X to comply with all the orders of the Brazilian courts and set a fine of BRL100,000 (US$19,860) for each profile it reactivates irregularly.
Is the court order a violation of X policy?
Fintech Telex understands that X has a strong policy for the protection of its users. This may have instigated Musk’s resistance to have the accounts banned as the court wanted.
Also, X’s purpose is to serve the public conversation and its rules are to ensure all people can participate in public conversation freely and safely which is why it has insisted on reinstating the affected accounts even at the risk of losing business.
Musk said X would probably lose all revenue and have to shut in Brazil, but that “principles matter more than profit”.
According to Musk, he would “publish everything demanded by” de Moraes just to show how “those requests violate Brazilian law”.
How X is tackling fake news itself
Recall that last year, a top European Union (EU) official described X as the biggest source of fake news and disinformation. Sadly, quite a lot of people share this sentiment.
To address disinformation and false news, X introduced Community Notes, which now serve as a moderation tool that polices the platform.
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Community Notes is a user-driven feature where you can contribute valuable context to potentially misleading posts.
Anyone can add a note to a post, offering additional information or clarifying points. These notes are then evaluated by a diverse group of contributors. If a note is deemed helpful and informative by the community, it gets displayed publicly alongside the original post, enriching the overall understanding.
It’s important to remember that Community Notes are entirely user-driven. They don’t reflect the official stance of X and cannot be edited by platform staff. X will only step in if a note goes against its established guidelines, including the Rules, Terms of Service, or Privacy Policy. Violations can lead to restricted access to Community Notes or even further actions as needed.
To ensure a high-quality experience for everyone, users can report notes that violate these guidelines. Reporting can be done directly from the note’s menu or through a designated form.
In a nutshell, Community Notes are by the people, for the people. They don’t represent X’s views and can’t be altered by staff. X steps in only if notes violate established guidelines.
Written by Adeluola Biola
