Elon Musk is back in the headlines, and this time, he’s in a standoff with none other than a federal judge in Brazil. The feud started when Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, refused to comply with the judge’s request to remove content from his platform, Twitter (or X, as it’s now known).

This conflict arose when the Brazilian judge, who has the authority to censor online information, demanded that posts claiming the country’s elections were rigged against former President Jair Bolsonaro be taken down.

While Twitter has previously complied with similar laws in countries like Turkey and India, Musk decided to take a stand this time. The federal judge responded by banning Twitter entirely, preventing anyone in Brazil from accessing the platform.

However, Musk had a trick up his sleeve—Starlink. Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, still allows Brazilians to access Twitter, despite the ban.

In a further move, the judge froze Starlink’s bank accounts in an attempt to retaliate.

But this has only intensified the feud, with Musk continuing to hold his ground. Interestingly, VPN services have seen a surge in registrations as users look for ways to bypass the Twitter ban, which Musk himself cheekily pointed out by sharing a meme on the subject.

The situation in Brazil is heating up, and it’s hard to say where things will go from here.

But one thing’s for sure—Musk’s stand for free speech, at least in this instance, has drawn global attention and sparked a debate.

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