In response to the suspension of the social media platform X in Brazil, the government has begun imposing heavy fines on individuals using VPNs to bypass restrictions. This action follows a protracted dispute with X’s owner, Elon Musk, over the platform’s operations and content policies in the country.
After a Brazilian court restricted access to X, many users turned to VPNs as a workaround, leading the government to enforce fines of $8,874 per day for VPN usage. The government’s stance is that X has been a conduit for anti-government content, accusing the platform of relinquishing its censorship responsibilities.
Elon Musk has vocally criticized the Brazilian government’s decision, labelling it authoritarian and suggesting that the imposition of VPN fines indicates a fear of public opinion.
Read: Elon Musk Compares Brazilian Chief Justice to Voldemort Amid Legal Dispute
Previously, Brazil’s Supreme Court had mandated X to curb the spread of misinformation and designate a legal representative within the country. Musk’s non-compliance with these orders, perceived as an infringement on free speech, prompted the court to ban X outright in Brazil and direct the National Telecommunications Agency to cease X’s operations immediately.
