Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been ordered to shut down in Brazil following a ruling by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. The decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing public feud between the judge and the platform’s owner, billionaire Elon Musk.
The order comes after X failed to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, a requirement by the court amid a series of legal battles between the company and Brazilian authorities. Judge de Moraes and Musk have been at odds for months, particularly over X’s refusal to comply with court orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech.
In addition to ordering the platform’s shutdown, Judge de Moraes imposed fines totalling 18.5 million reais (£2.5 million) on the company. The ruling also includes severe penalties for users attempting to bypass the ban via virtual private networks (VPNs), with fines of up to 50,000 reais (£7,000) per day for violators.
The head of Brazil’s telecom regulator, Anatel, confirmed that the court order to suspend X has been received and that the agency is “proceeding with compliance.”
Brazil is a significant market for X, which has faced challenges since Musk’s acquisition of the platform in 2022, including a substantial loss of advertisers. According to Emarketer, a market research group, approximately 40 million Brazilians—about 20% of the population—use the platform at least once a month.
In response to the shutdown, X released a statement expressing its expectation of such an outcome, blaming the judge for what it called “illegal orders to censor his political opponents.” The company also claimed that when it attempted to defend itself in court, Judge de Moraes threatened to imprison its Brazilian legal representative. X further criticized the Brazilian judiciary, stating that their challenges against the judge’s actions were either dismissed or ignored.
Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were either dismissed or ignored,” the company said. Judge de Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unwilling or unable to stand up to him.
This unprecedented legal battle continues to unfold, with significant implications for freedom of expression, the role of social media in Brazil, and the broader tension between tech giants and national governments.
Further developments in this case are expected, as the conflict between X and Brazil’s judiciary shows no signs of resolution.
