| November 3, 2022 |
| Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has now sent multiple orders to ban high-profile individuals at the risk of heavy fines and complete platform suspension in a thinly veiled attack on freedom of expression. Free speech social media platform GETTR on Tuesday filed a formal appeal with Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) petitioning it to overturn an order forcing GETTR to remove the profile of Federal Deputy Carla Zambelli under threat of heavy fines and complete platform suspension, calling it an overreach which harms the freedom of expression. Specifically, GETTR’s Brazilian legal counsel has asked the TSE to reconsider their ruling to suspend the account of Zambelli, which is an overburdensome and politically discriminating maneuver, saying it was more appropriate for the Court to suggest specific posts be removed if found to have violated Brazilian law. None of Deputy Zambelli’s posts have violated GETTR’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines. Tuesday’s TSE-ordered suspension, for which GETTR had only one hour to comply or risk an hourly R$150.000,00 ($30,000 USD) fine and the suspension of the platform in Brazil, is the latest of five such requests GETTR has received before and now after the election. GETTR currently has more than 1 million users in Brazil, and the country is its second largest market. GETTR CEO Jason Miller had the following to say in reaction to the Court-ordered suspensions and GETTR’s appeal to the TSE: “These court orders from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech, and we are asking the court to overturn the blanket order issued Tuesday. While GETTR always complies with requests from local law enforcement, it is not the place of a judge or even a social media platform to rob people of the right to hear from an elected official.” “GETTR is committed to fighting censorship and defending freedom of expression wherever it is under threat, including in Brazil. Hopefully the TSE, a body which is supposed to defend democracy, quickly realizes that bans such as these weaken a cornerstone of democracy, which is the right to debate and dissent.” Today, GETTR is one of the world’s leading alternative social media platforms and defied market trends to double its unique users count in its first year. The platform has more than 6.5 million users in 192 countries and has recorded more than 260 million livestream views. |