- Brazil bans Musk’s X after it failed to comply with Supreme Court orders.
- X is blocked in Brazil as the legal battle over disinformation escalates.
Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, was banned in Brazil after the company missed a crucial deadline to appoint a new legal representative, as ordered by Brazil’s Supreme Court, the BBC reported.
The court’s decision marks the culmination of a months-long dispute that began with allegations of disinformation spreading on the platform, particularly among supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The legal battle started in April when Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts for allegedly disseminating false information.
X’s troubles in Brazil are based on the court’s crackdown on accounts linked to disinformation, many of which supported Bolsonaro. The court had demanded that these accounts remain blocked during ongoing investigations.
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Social Media Under Scrutiny
The social media’s refusal to comply with these orders resulted in escalating fines and legal pressure. The company closed its Brazil office earlier this month, citing concerns for the safety of its representative, who had faced threats of arrest.
X’s defiance is part of a broader critique by Musk and his company, accusing Justice de Moraes of left-leaning bias. This conflict added to Musk’s growing list of legal and regulatory battles worldwide, including recent confrontations with the European Union and a public spat with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The head of Brazil’s telecommunications agency confirmed that the suspension of the platform is being enforced. Companies like Apple and Google have reportedly been given a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores. The ban will reportedly remain in place until X appoints a new legal representative and pays the fines imposed by the court.
Further complicating matters, the Brazilian Supreme Court also froze the bank accounts of Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, in a related legal action. Starlink denounced the move on X, arguing that it was being wrongfully held responsible for fines imposed on X.
This is not the first time Brazil has taken a tough stance against social media companies. Telegram was temporarily banned last year for failing to block certain profiles, and Meta’s WhatsApp was also briefly banned in the past for non-compliance with police data requests.
