Musk's Social Media Showdown: Brazil Suspends X as Legal Battle Escalates
1min read After months of contentious dispute, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge on August 30 ordered the suspension of operations of Elon Musk's social media platform X in the country's largest South American nation, prompting an angry reaction from Musk.
According to Agence France-Presse, the order came after Musk failed to comply with the requirement for X to appoint a legal representative in Brazil. Judge Alexandre de Moraes issued the ruling, insisting that X must halt its services in Brazil until compliance is achieved.
In response, Musk angrily accused de Moraes of "trying to destroy Brazil's democracy." Musk wrote on X that "freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected judge in Brazil is undermining democracy for political purposes."
This confrontation has been ongoing for several months. Previously, de Moraes had mandated the banning of certain accounts accused of spreading misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian elections. These accounts reportedly belonged to supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, but X did not fully comply with the order. In April, de Moraes ordered an investigation into Musk, alleging that X had reactivated some of the banned accounts.
Earlier this month, Musk announced the closure of the X offices in Brazil, accusing de Moraes of threatening to arrest X's legal representative in the country to enforce compliance with the "censorship order."
On August 28, de Moraes signed a subpoena requiring X to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours or face a suspension of its services in the country.
On August 29, Musk's satellite internet company Starlink revealed that it had received orders to freeze its accounts in Brazil and was banned from conducting financial transactions. Starlink stated that this order was "based on an unfounded decision holding Starlink responsible for fines imposed on X."
On August 30, Brazilian President Lula also commented on the matter. In a media interview, he said that Musk should not offend Brazilian authorities and that any investor in Brazil is subject to Brazilian law.