X, formerly known as Twitter, has been banned in Brazil after missing a deadline set by a Supreme Court judge to appoint a new legal representative in the country.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes has mandated the “immediate and complete suspension” of the platform until it adheres to all court orders and settles outstanding fines.
The dispute began in April when the judge ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of spreading disinformation.
In response to the ban, X owner Elon Musk criticized the decision, stating: “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”
The platform is reportedly used by at least 10% of Brazil’s 200 million population.
By Saturday morning, some users had reported being unable to access the platform.
Earlier this month, X closed its office in Brazil, citing threats of arrest against its representative if she did not comply with what it described as “censorship,” which it claimed was illegal under Brazilian law.
Judge Moraes had previously ordered that X accounts suspected of spreading disinformation—many of which are linked to former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro—be blocked during investigations. The judge warned that the company’s legal representatives would be held accountable if any blocked accounts were reactivated.
X has faced fines for non-compliance, with Musk and the company accusing the judge of having a left-wing bias.
This latest conflict adds to Musk’s ongoing controversies, including clashes with the EU over X’s regulations and a recent verbal exchange with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The head of Brazil’s telecommunications agency, responsible for enforcing the ban, confirmed that action is underway. Justice Moraes has given companies like Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores and block its access on iOS and Android systems.
Additionally, individuals or businesses using VPNs to access the platform could face fines of R$50,000 (£6,700).
The ban will remain in effect until X appoints a new legal representative in Brazil and pays fines for breaching Brazilian law. X has previously stated it would not comply with these demands.
“Soon, we expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes will order X to be shut down in Brazil – simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents,” the post said.
“The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that.”
In the meantime, the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, have been frozen in Brazil following a Supreme Court order.
Starlink responded with a statement on X, arguing that the “order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be held responsible for the fines—unconstitutionally—imposed on X.”
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who issued the order, is well-known for his decisions to restrict social media platforms in Brazil.
He is also investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters in connection with an alleged attempted coup on January 8 of the previous year.
X is not the only social media platform to face scrutiny from Brazilian authorities. Last year, Telegram was temporarily banned for failing to comply with demands to block certain profiles.
Additionally, Meta’s messaging service WhatsApp faced temporary bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to provide user data to law enforcement.
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