Brazil judge threatens to suspend X within 24 hours

By AFP
August 28, 2024


Elon Musk's X. — © AFP

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge threatened Wednesday to suspend X, formerly Twitter, if CEO Elon Musk doesn’t name a new legal representative for the social media site’s operations in the country.

Earlier this month Musk shut down X’s business operations in Brazil while preserving access to the social media site for users after accusing the judge of threatening the company’s previous legal representative.

In an order made public Wednesday, judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Musk “to appoint the company’s new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours.”

“In the event of non-compliance with the order, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network’s activities in Brazil.”

Moraes has spearheaded the battle against disinformation in South America’s largest nation, clashing with Musk along the way.

Musk and other critics have said Moraes is part of a sweeping crackdown on free speech.

Justifying the shutdown of the offices, Musk said that had X complied with de Moraes’s orders, “there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed.”


Brazil Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Elon Musk to name a new legal representative in the country or face X being shut down there – Copyright AFP/File EVARISTO SA

Moraes previously had ordered the suspension of several Twitter accounts suspected of spreading disinformation, including those of supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who tried to discredit the voting system in the 2022 presidential election, which he lost.

In April, X admitted that several users of blocked accounts had managed to circumvent the restrictions.

Musk is also the subject of a judicial investigation into an alleged scheme where public money was used to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him