Which Country Could Ban X Next?
Which Country Could Ban X Next?
On Saturday, August 31, 2024, Brazil became one of a small number of countries to ban X, formerly known as Twitter.
Brazil raised various concerns about the social media platform, becoming increasingly worried about content moderation, free speech, and judicial overreach in recent months.
Due to the ongoing conflict, the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, shut down X’s Brazilian office instead of complying with the country’s request to remove specific accounts.
As Musk failed to adhere to local laws, Justice de Moraes suspended X in Brazil, causing Google, Apple, and Brazilian internet service providers to block access to the platform.
Unless X complies with the country’s orders and pays fines of over $3 million, the social media network will remain banned in Brazil.
Brazil isn’t the first country to have banned X, and it’s unlikely to be the last. Even Musk has suggested other countries, including the United States, might ban the platform in the future.
Continue reading to learn about the countries that could ban X next.
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Could Another Country Ban X?
A handful of countries have banned X, such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Myanmar.
For instance, it wouldn’t be a shock if X was banned in Nigeria. In 2021, the country temporarily blocked access to the social network for seven months after the platform deleted tweets from then-President Muhammadu Buhari and due to concerns about misinformation and fake news.
However, the Nigerian government lifted the ban in 2022 after the social network agreed to establish a legal entity in the country. Nigeria doesn’t hesitate to remove technology that could pose a threat to the nation, either, as it recently banned access to cryptocurrency exchanges.
It was also recently reported that weapons dealers are using X to sell various machine guns in Yemen, such as pistols, grenades, and Kalashnikovs. It is believed the traders are under the control of Yemen’s Houthis, a group of rebels financially backed by Iran.
As the advertisements are reportedly visible to the public on X and not restricted to the dark web, millions of people worldwide could view the advertisements. While X has suspended all accounts connected to the group, a ban in Yemen might be a natural next step.
It appears there is no love lost between Elon Musk and Australia’s prime minister, either. Following two stabbing attacks occurring within days across the country, Australia’s safety commissioner requested Meta and X remove the viral footage of one incident from its platforms.
While Meta took steps to remove the shocking content, Musk only restricted the content in Australia, allowing users in other countries to watch it. Despite additional requests from the government to remove it, he refused to do so, claiming that he believed it would be a threat to free speech, forcing Australia to take the platform to court. Due to the ongoing legal battle between X and the government, there is currently speculation that Australia could ban X.
Some US states could ban X in the future, too. For instance, X recently broke California law by failing to disclose the site’s content moderation practices. As social networks aren’t immune to regulations, X could be blocked if it fails to adhere to state law.
Following the news, Musk announced plans to move X’s headquarters from California to Texas. However, he has also experienced legal issues in the Lone Star State, as X was recently found to be in breach of Texas’s age verification law that passed on September 1, 2023. For the social network to continue in the state, X will need to introduce a form of age verification to provide users with access to adult content.
The First Amendment makes it difficult for ISPs to have specific access to sites, and states would need to endure a lengthy court battle to ban a social media network such as X.