Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered video sharing platform Rumble to be taken offline in the Latin American country within 24 hours.
In his decision, Moraes said Rumble has not complied with court orders, such as appointing a legal representative for . Moraes also said the video platform must pay pending legal fines.
Moraes: Rumble must take down platform of Allan Dos Santos
Rumble has “repeatedly, consciously and willingly not complied, and is trying not to submit to Brazil’s legal order and judiciary,” Moraes asserted.
Moraes also said Rumble refused to comply with a court order that mandated the platform take down the channel of Brazilian conservative journalist Allan dos Santos.
Dos Santos, who is based in the southern US state of Florida, is a staunch supporter of former . He is a fugitive in Brazil for his role in spreading disinformation, with Moraes seeking the extradition of Dos Santos.
Rumble accuses Moraes of ‘unprecedented censorship’
In response, Rumble said the platform is experiencing “unprecedented censorship in Brazil.” The company, which has headquarters in both Canada and Florida, said Morae’s orders are “in response to our refusal to censor political dissidents residing in the United States.”
Rumble is responsible for the back-services for Truth Social media site.
Earlier this week, Rumble and the Trump Media & Technology Group sued Moraes, accusing him of infringing on the free speech protections of the First Amendment of the US constitution. The lawsuit referenced Dos Santos as Political Dissident A.
“Allowing Justice Moraes to muzzle a vocal user on an American digital outlet would jeopardize our country’s bedrock commitment to open and robust debate,” that lawsuit said. “Neither extraterritorial dictates nor judicial overreach from abroad can override the freedoms protected by the US Constitution and law.”
A venture capital company co-founded by current Vice President JD Vance invested in Rumble in 2021. JD Vance has expressed concerns about free speech in countries , and said these concerns would drive foreign policy under the .
The crackdown on Rumble in Brazil comes after Moraes ordered the suspension of , also for failing to appoint a legal representative in the country. Although Musk was angered by the order, the company eventually complied with Moraes’ demands around a month later, with X being brought back online in Brazil.
Moraes is a powerful figure in Brazilian politics. Supporters believe his rulings are necessary to protect Brazil’s relatively young democracy, whereas detractors believe he is engaged in judicial overreach.
wd/rmt (Reuters, AP)
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