Key figures in Democratic circles have been unusually silent about Brazil's recent crackdown on social media platform “X,” according to a review of public records and comments.

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered the nationwide blocking of X (formerly Twitter) after the company failed to comply with a state order to remove certain accounts, an order that took effect on Saturday. The move, aimed at curbing “misinformation,” put tens of millions of X's accounts at risk and raised concerns about the government's ability to restrict people's free speech, but it has silenced some left-leaning figures and organizations that previously advocated for stricter censorship laws. (Related article: Harris's close relationship doesn't boost her approval rating even after the convention)

“We should not fool ourselves: if the situation in Brazil continues as it is, other countries will be emboldened to embark on similar censorship programs,” Jeremy Tedesco, a senior executive at the Alliance Defending Freedom, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “What we are actually seeing is an increase in global censorship, and Western countries like the United States have an obligation to resist it. It's alarming that we are not seeing much bipartisan resistance to this issue.”

X's future in Brazil is unclear, but for the time being it is banned across the country. Supported On Monday, Brazil's Supreme Court issued an order banning X. Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is solely responsible for banning the platform, also ordered a daily fine of $8,900 for Brazilians who use a virtual private network (VPN) to access X, but later withdrew the rule after it threatened to affect other companies.

“Brazilians are not happy with the current government,” said business tycoon and X owner Elon Musk. said on sunday.

President Joe Biden has not made any statement about Brazil's decision over the weekend to ban the X platform. More broadly, the Biden administration has not said anything about Brazil's X ban. Neither the White House nor the State Department, which is responsible for US foreign policy, have issued any statements on the matter.

Neither the State Department nor the White House responded to multiple requests for comment.

The Biden administration has a history of promoting or engaging in censorship activities, but it is unclear where it stands on the issue.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has not commented on Brazil's X ban, and her campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the matter. Harris previously said: Promoted The idea that social media platforms should be regulated by the federal government.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 2, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“We can't hold Facebook and Twitter to different standards,” Harris said in 2019. Interview“All these social media companies and online platforms have so much power to influence perceptions of issues and to influence behavior. Let's be clear on that point: we need standards.”

Groups that typically advocate for free speech, including Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and PEN America, have also not issued any statements about Brazil's ban on X. An Amnesty International spokesperson told DCNF they would not comment because they “have not adequately addressed this issue.”

The editorial boards of The Washington Post and The New York Times usually Frank About Political and Cultural Two media outlets have remained silent on the issue, and neither responded to multiple requests for comment.

X had been a target for Moraes for months. According to Moraes launched an investigation into Musk and his alleged misinformation in April and subsequently demanded that X Platform comply with Brazil's freedom of speech laws, but X failed to comply and withdrew its legal representation from Brazil last month. According to To NPR.

No matter how hard he tries to stop it, the Brazilian people will find out about his crimes. https://t.co/welqIkUyIj

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 31, 2024

Moraes later banned X in Brazil after the company decided not to have legal representation in the country, according to the Associated Press, but users can still access the site through Starlink, another of Musk's companies, which maintains a satellite network to provide internet connections around the world. Moraes froze the company's financial accounts in Brazil last week.

According to the Associated Press, Starlink is refusing to comply with a Brazilian government order to suspend access to X until its financial accounts are unfrozen.

X has also come under fire from governments around the world, including the European Union, which is investigating whether the platform violates EU digital speech laws. A senior EU official warned Musk to comply with EU digital speech laws ahead of his August interview with former President Donald Trump, and Musk issued a stern warning. Reprimand.

The law in question is based on the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which bans EU citizens from promoting or posting anything that EU governments consider to be hate speech or misinformation. The DSA has expressed concern that the EU is restricting citizens' freedom of speech while acting as an arbiter of truth.

“The question for Americans is whether they will allow these global censors to essentially control speech coming from Europe, where freedom of speech is in free fall,” said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. said “These laws create a dangerous cycle, and Americans should not turn a blind eye to the impact of things like the DSA,” Fox News reported in August.

Musk said he plans to continue fighting to get the X approved in Brazil and Europe.

“The more Brazilians learn, [about Moraes]“Things are going to get worse for him,” Musk said. said On Monday to X. “After swearing to uphold the Brazilian Constitution, he has repeatedly and flagrantly violated it. There is no one worse than someone who breaks an oath.”

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