On September 6, 2024, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivered a televised statement ahead of the country’s Independence Day celebrations, asserting that “no country is truly independent if it tolerates threats to its sovereignty.” Lula’s statement came in response to a major decision made by the Brazilian government to impose a ban on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter. While this move initially sparked widespread international debate about freedom of speech, the issue goes far beyond this surface-level controversy, delving into a complex struggle between the assertion of national sovereignty and the unchecked influence of multinational corporations.

The Brazilian Supreme Court made this decision after X failed to comply with several of its orders. These included the platform’s neglect to appoint a legal representative in Brazil within the given time frame, as well as its failure to implement sufficient measures to control the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and anti-democratic rhetoric. For the Brazilian government, this decision was not merely about reining in a social media giant but about safeguarding national stability, preventing political polarization, and upholding democratic institutions.

The decision has drawn significant backlash, particularly from Western nations like the United States, which frame it as a violation of free speech. However, these reactions appear to be motivated less by concern for human rights and more by the desire to protect the interests of US-based multinational corporations. In this context, the dispute over free speech masks a deeper issue: the clash between capital and national sovereignty.

From Brazil’s perspective, the ban on X is entirely in line with the nation’s laws. Social media platforms, like any other business operating within Brazil, must adhere to domestic........

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