Australia, the European Union and even the United States are among the countries that have had problems with the billionaire
Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered on Wednesday (28) billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the social network X, formerly Twitter, to appoint the company’s legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours. Failure to comply with the order will result in an “immediate suspension penalty” of the platform.
Musk had previously publicly criticized Alexandre de Moraes’s measures, which limited access to the platform for some politicians and entrepreneurs. Moraes responded by ordering that Musk be investigated for the crimes of obstruction of justice, criminal organization and incitement to crime.
Elon Musk’s clash with the Brazilian minister is not an isolated case for the billionaire. Musk and his X platform have problems with other countries and even with the European Union.
Remember some cases:
European Union
The European Union has been investigating X since 2023 for violating rules on sharing illegal content and trafficking disinformation.
The investigations include the alleged dissemination of terrorist and violent content, as well as incitement to hatred, following the Hamas attack on Israel.
The European Commission found that the company violated the standards set by the Digital Services Act (DSA), the new European Union legislation. The main objective of DSA is to combat disinformation, harmful content and fake news on social media, especially on platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, among others.
If the charges against Elon Musk and his company are confirmed, the fines could be up to 6% of revenue, which would be a significant amount for the company. In addition, X stock is likely to suffer a significant decline. If Musk is unable to align his practices with the European Union’s requirements, the most prudent alternative may be to accept the Commission’s determinations, avoiding greater complications in the future.
Australia
Billionaire Elon Musk has accused Australia of censorship after an Australian judge ruled that his social media platform X must block users around the world from accessing a video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded on Tuesday, describing Musk as an “arrogant billionaire” who considered himself above the law and out of touch with the public.
Musk posted a cartoon on his personal X account showing a fork in the road, with one path leading to “free speech” and “truth” and the other to “censorship” and “propaganda.”
Don’t take my word for it, just ask the Australian Prime Minister! pic.twitter.com/ZJBKrstStQ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2024
Other controversial cases with Musk’s companies
Delaware, United States
Elon Musk has been embroiled in yet another controversy with the state of Delaware, in the United States. In an X publication on January 30, the billionaire expressed his dissatisfaction: “Never register your company in the State of Delaware.”
The statement came after two of his companies, Neuralink and SpaceX, announced that they had decided to remove their tax offices from the state.
In early February, it was revealed that Neuralink, a company working on the interface between the human brain and computers, would be moving its headquarters to Nevada, where X is already based. In turn, SpaceX, which focuses on aerospace technology, has chosen to move its headquarters to Texas.
The conflict gained momentum after a court ruling in late January, when a Delaware judge struck down the $56 billion pay package Musk was set to receive from Tesla, the largest ever awarded to a publicly traded company CEO. The decision came after shareholders filed a lawsuit claiming the pay was excessive, and a judge ruled in their favor.
Musk has since launched a campaign to discourage other companies from locating their headquarters in Delaware.
Bolivia
In 2020, before buying Twitter, Musk used the social network to criticize a U.S. government stimulus package amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said the package did not serve the “best interests of the people.”
Then, one account responded to Musk that it was not in the public interest for the U.S. government to “stage a coup against Evo Morales” so that Musk could obtain lithium, a material used in battery production at Tesla in Bolivia.
Musk then responded: “We’ll hit whoever we want. Deal with it.”
The threat was a response during the electoral period in Bolivia, after the resignation of Evo Morales in 2019, amid social mobilization and the demand for his resignation advanced by the Armed Forces.
Source: Terra
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