Brazil's top court orders the nationwide suspension of Elon Musk's X

Brazil's Supreme Court on Friday ordered a statewide ban of Elon Musk's social network X after the business promised to disobey previous court decisions requiring content moderation and the appointment of a legal representative in the country.

The court's chief judge, Alexandre de Moraes, has also mandated daily fines for individuals or companies in Brazil that access X through virtual private networks (VPNs) or other means even though the website is prohibited there, according to G1 Globo.

"The immediate and complete suspension of the operation of X, formerly Twitter, throughout the national territory until the Court's judicial decisions are complied with and the fines applied are paid," the court declared in a statement posted on its official website in Brazil on Friday. The order will remain in effect "until a representative of the company in the country is appointed," according to the statement.

The Brazilian Supreme Court declared on Wednesday that Musk and X would either have to designate a legal representation for their company in Brazil within 24 hours or else risk a "penalty of suspension of activities" in that country. Thursday night was the deadline.

Musk reacted immediately and charged that de Moraes was undermining free expression in the nation.

“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” Musk posted to X following the suspension announcement. “The oppressive regime in Brazil is so afraid of the people learning the truth that they will bankrupt anyone who tries,” he said.

A X suspension in Brazil might lead to financial difficulties for Musk's already troubled firm. Oosga's market analysis indicates that there are over 171 million active social media users in Brazil.

In late 2022, Musk oversaw the $44 billion purchase of Twitter. Many big advertisers fled or reduced their expenditure on ad campaigns as a result of the drastic adjustments he imposed, including the reinstatement of previously banned and suspended accounts.

Following the court's decision to freeze the funds of Starlink, the satellite internet service that Musk's SpaceX company offers in Brazil, Musk took aim at de Moraes in a series of posts. Under Musk's direction, Starlink has promoted itself on X, and Musk has urged Brazilians to utilize Starlink to access the social media network.

Defenders of De Moraes have claimed that his actions against X were legal, backed by the majority of the court's bench, and helped to preserve democracy at a time when it was under threat. The basis for his Friday order is Brazilian law, which mandates that international businesses maintain a presence in the nation in order to be informed of any legal actions taken against them.