X suspends business in Brazil over censorship row
X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its office in Brazil amid a dispute over censorship orders issued by Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. The social media platform announced the closure on Saturday, citing threats of arrest made against its legal representative in Brazil by Judge de Moraes if the company did not comply with his orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading disinformation.
Despite the office closure, people in Brazil can still use X. The conflict began when Judge de Moraes ordered the blocking of accounts under investigation for disinformation, many of which are linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. In response to X owner Elon Musk's criticism of these actions, the judge imposed a daily fine of 100,000 reais ($19,774) for any reactivated account and warned of potential legal consequences for X's representatives in Brazil. Musk himself is also under investigation for obstruction of justice among other charges.
In a statement, X emphasized that its Brazilian staff had no control over content blocking and accused Judge de Moraes of threatening staff instead of respecting the law. To ensure the safety of its employees, X decided to close its operations in Brazil, holding Judge de Moraes responsible for the decision and labeling his actions as incompatible with democratic principles.
Elon Musk took to X to assert that Judge de Moraes needs to leave his position and explained that the closure of the Brazil office was necessary to avoid complying with demands that the company could not justify. This move comes amid ongoing tensions between Judge de Moraes and Bolsonaro supporters, as the judge had previously ordered investigations into some of Bolsonaro's allies during his presidency.
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