Technology — X shuts down in Brazil

Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter

View Online Technology Technology The Big Story  X shuts down in Brazil amid Elon Musk feud with judge The blocking of the social platform X began this weekend in the wake of an ongoing battle between Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court judge. © AP Photo/Rick Rycroft The court ordered an immediate suspension of the site, making X largely inaccessible on both the web and mobile apps. The shutdown came after Musk refused to name a legal representative by the deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.   The blocking impacts tens of millions of users in Brazil, which has been one of X's biggest markets, per The Associated Press. The decision follows months of sparring between Musk and de Moraes, which escalated earlier this month when X closed its office in Brazil after the judge ordered the platform to remove posts from the site. If X failed to comply, the judge said he would levy a daily fine of $3,650 and an arrest decree against its representative, Rachel Nova Conceicao.  The feud came to a head last week amid de Moraes's threat to shut down the billionaire's social media platform in the country. Musk hit back, calling de Moraes an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge."   The Hill's Miranda Nazzaro has more here. Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, I'm Sylvan Lane — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Brazil's Supreme Court orders suspension of X A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered the immediate suspension of social media platform X throughout the country Friday, after the platform refused to name a new legal representative amid an ongoing feud. Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed internet service providers and app stores to block X in Brazil within five days and ordered daily fines of 50,000 reais — or nearly $9,000 — on those who use virtual private networks …  Full Story Chinese social media operation pushing divisiveness ahead of US election: Research A Chinese state-linked social media influence operation has been pushing divisiveness denigrating candidates from both major political parties in the United States ahead of the November election, according to new research published by Graphika, a social media analytics firm.  The researchers connected the effort to Spamouflage, an influence network that has been active since 2017 and is known for pushing propaganda. Spamouflage …  Full Story Musk posts fake image of Harris in communist garb Elon Musk, owner of the social platform X, posted what appeared to be a manipulated image of Vice President Harris dressed in red military garb with the communist symbol of the hammer and sickle. "Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!?" Musk, who has endorsed former President Trump's 2024 White House bid, wrote in a post Sunday on X, along with the fake image. His message …  Full Story The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: Bluesky membership skyrockets The social network created in the wake of Elon Musk's takeover of X has added 2 million users in four days, TechCrunch reports. Nvidia shares plunge 10 percent Chip stocks suffered their worst day since March 2020 as investors sold off Nvidia shares, CNBC reports. The Hill Jobs  Interested in exploring a new career? Visit The Hill Jobs Board to discover millions of roles worldwide, including:   Congressional Affairs Manager (Senior Project Manager) — International Association of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, Va. Apply   Director, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Policy Office — Association for Computing Machinery, Washington, D.C. Apply Director of the Coalition for the Life Sciences — Coalition for the Life Sciences, Rockville, Md. Apply   Senior Accountant — Acra Lending, Irvine, Calif.  Apply     Click here to get your job mentioned In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Sports boats set out on a voyage to electrify the waters in the same way Tesla electrified the roads AFLOAT THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER (AP) — Grant Jeide looked like another dude riding the rollicking waves left in the wake of a 23-foot (7-meter) boat ripping through the water at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour on a river in Northern California’s Delta earlier this summer. But Jeide was performing … Full Story On the first day without X, many Brazilians say they feel disconnected from the world SAO PAULO (AP) — The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Sunday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence. The shutdown of Elon Musk's platform started early Saturday, … Full Story What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Jeff Walz clarifies comments, still opposes Tim Walz's views Jeff Walz's Facebook posts caused a stir in both mainstream and social media. Read more Anti-Trump GOP group launches $11.5 million ad buy in swing states Republican Voters Against Trump launched an $11.5 million ad buy in key swing states on Tuesday, marking the group's largest ad buy so far this cycle.  … Read more   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.