Brazil Supreme Court justice orders investigation of Elon Musk over fake news and obstruction
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Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered an investigation into Elon Musk over the dissemination of fake news and alleged obstruction. The investigation stems from Musk's public comments on social media platform X, where he criticized the court's actions and stated that X would not comply with orders to block certain accounts. The investigation will look into whether Musk engaged in intentional criminal instrumentalization of X, obstruction, criminal organization, and incitement. Musk accused de Moraes of suppressing free speech and violating Brazil's constitution. Brazil's political right has criticized de Moraes for overstepping his bounds and engaging in political persecution. Musk's comments on X included instructions for users to download VPNs to bypass any potential shutdown of the platform. The investigation is part of a larger probe into a network of people known as digital militias who spread defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices. Brazil is an important market for social media companies, with approximately 40 million Brazilians accessing X at least once per month. Musk's previous pledges to lift restrictions on blocked accounts have not yet been acted upon by X. Each reactivated account will result in a fine of 100,000 reais ($20,000) per day. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who previously awarded Musk a prestigious medal, encouraged Musk to publish documents that he claims will reveal interference in the 2022 election. OpenAI, a company co-founded by Musk, recently announced that it will become a for-profit company. Musk has also sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging a broken pact to benefit humanity. Musk has been ordered to testify in an SEC probe of his $44 billion Twitter takeover in 2022.

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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/brazil-supreme-court-justice-orders-investigation-of-elon-musk-over-fake-news-and-obstruction