Rio de Janeiro:

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered an investigation into Elon Musk on Sunday after the tycoon criticized a magistrate and accused him of censoring social media accounts suspected of spreading false information.

In an order seen by AFP, Judge Alexandre de Moraes accused X’s owners of “instrumentalizing” the platform.

“Social Network There is a penalty of about $20,000 for activating the account.

In recent years, Judge Alexandre de Morais has ordered the suspension of Twitter accounts suspected of spreading false information.

“Social networks are not a land without law,” the judge wrote in capital letters in his order.

Starting Saturday night, Elon Musk launched a series of attacks on judge Alexandre de Moraes on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that he purchased in 2022 .

The Tesla and SpaceX boss posted: “This judge has blatantly and repeatedly betrayed the Brazilian Constitution and people. He should resign or be impeached.”

As Judge Alexandre de Morais threatens to impose hefty fines and “cut off” access to the platform, “we could lose all our revenue in Brazil and have to close our offices there,” Elon Ma Sk posted.

“But principles are more important than profits,” he said.

Judge Alexandre de Morais, one of 11 members of Brazil’s High Court of Justice, is a divisive judicial figure, tyrannical to some and a zealous defender of democracy to others. He also presides over the country’s Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

Critics, including Elon Musk, say Judge Alexandre de Morais is part of a sweeping crackdown on free speech in Brazil.

Judge Alexandre de Morais is leading the fight against disinformation in South America’s largest country. In recent years, he has ordered the blocking of the accounts of influential figures on social networks, most of whom are supporters of Jair Bolsonaro.

The far-right former president was declared ineligible to run for office in 2023 by Moraes’ TSE for spreading false information about Brazil’s electoral system.

Bolsonaro is also under investigation for an attempted coup to prevent him from defeating current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election after a group of Bolsonaro Luo’s supporters stormed the headquarters of the country’s three authorities in Brasilia.

Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Mecias called for “urgent regulation of social networks” shortly after Elon Musk first attacked judge Alexandre de Moraes.

“We cannot live in a society where billionaires living abroad control social networks and show a willingness to violate the rule of law, disobey judicial orders and threaten our authorities,” he said on X without mentioning Egypt Lon Musk’s name.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)