Brazilian president makes comments after supreme court votes to uphold X ban over refusal to obey court orders

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has said he hopes the crisis surrounding the social network X in Brazil might teach the world that “it isn’t obliged to put up with [Elon] Musk’s far-right free-for-all just because he is rich”.

Lula’s comments to the network CNN Brasil came after the supreme court voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the ban on X, which is now largely inaccessible in one of its biggest global markets.

The suspension was first ordered on Friday as a result of the company’s refusal to obey court orders requiring the removal of profiles accused of spreading disinformation and for the social network to name a local legal representative.

MBFC
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  • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    432·
    2 months ago

    When I was younger I was taught that authoritarianism was a trait of right-wing politics.

    I believed that at the time.

    What I was taught was wrong, as we can see in this article.

      • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        315·
        2 months ago

        Protecting citizens from receiving the wrong kind of information about political matters? That doesn’t sound democratic at all, much less like an important thing.

        • psvrh@lemmy.caEnglish
          51·
          2 months ago

          You really should read Karl Popper’s Paradox of Tolerance to understand why this is important, and why “the only way to counter speech is with more speech” isn’t just wrong, it’s actually counterproductive.

          Here’s the short version, if it helps.

          • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            25·
            2 months ago

            Even if you agree with that argument (which I don’t), that was written about ideologies like fascism, Nazism, Stalinism, which were (when they were relevant) actually very suppressive of free speech when they were in power, more so than current left-leaning authoritarians who are defending the blocking of ex-Twitter in Brazil or (worse) saying that other countries should do similar things.

          • CileTheSane@lemmy.caEnglish
            31·
            2 months ago

            “Can people really be disagreeing with me?”

            “No, it must be the hivemind.”

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      2 months ago

      Democracy: has laws

      Business: ignores the law

      Democracy: bans business for failure to follow the laws

      You: “is the authoritarianism?”

      The only part in all of this where an individual is deciding what happens is where Elon Musk is deciding what should and shouldn’t be illegal. You are arguing for authoritarianism.