On Wednesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court gave billionaire Elon Musk a strict order: he must name a legal representative for his messaging platform, X, in Brazil within 24 hours. If he fails to do so, the site could be suspended in the country. Earlier this month, X announced plans to shut down its service in Brazil, calling a court order by Judge Alexandre de Moraes “censorship.” However, X also stated that its service would still be available to Brazilian users.
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Threat of Arrest
X claimed that Judge Moraes threatened to secretly arrest one of the company’s legal representatives if they didn’t quickly remove objectionable content from the platform.
What the Court Said
In Wednesday’s order, Judge Moraes mentioned that under Brazil’s internet laws, companies that do not respect Brazilian law or protect users’ privacy could have their activities temporarily suspended. The Supreme Court shared a screenshot of its decision on its X account, tagging Musk and X’s Global Government Affairs accounts.
Elon Musk’s Reaction
Hours after the court’s decision, Musk responded on X, accusing Judge Moraes of “repeatedly breaking the laws he swore to uphold.” Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block accounts involved in an investigation into the so-called “digital militia,” which was accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s term.
When Musk challenged that decision and stated he would reactivate the blocked accounts, Moraes launched an investigation against the billionaire in early April.
X’s Legal Defense
X’s representatives told the Supreme Court that the platform would comply with legal orders. However, in April, when Moraes questioned why X had not fully followed his orders, X’s lawyers explained that operational issues prevented them from blocking the accounts as instructed.
Musk Calls Decisions Unconstitutional
Musk has called Judge Moraes’ decisions related to X unconstitutional. On Thursday, topics like “The End of Twitter,” “Elon Musk,” and “Alexandre de Moraes” were trending on X in Brazil, with millions of posts discussing the issue.