Brazil Supreme Court justice orders investigation of Elon Musk over fake news and obstruction
- Brazil Supreme Court justice escalates spat with billionaire Elon Musk over his social media platform X
- Musk has accused Alexandre de Moraes of suppressing free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution
A crusading Brazilian Supreme Court justice has included Elon Musk as a target in a continuing investigation over the dissemination of fake news, and has opened a separate investigation into the US business executive for alleged obstruction.
In his decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted that Musk on Saturday began waging a public “disinformation campaign” regarding the top court’s actions, and that Musk continued the following day – most notably with comments that his social media company X would cease to comply with the court’s orders to block certain accounts.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who took over Twitter in late 2022, accused de Moraes of suppressing free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution, and noted on X that users could seek to bypass any shutdown of the social media platform by using VPNs, or virtual private networks.
Musk will be investigated for alleged intentional criminal “instrumentalisation” of X as part of an investigation into a network of people known as digital militias who allegedly spread defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices, according to the text of the decision.
The new investigation will look into whether Musk engaged in obstruction, criminal organisation and incitement.
