The Brazilian Supreme Court has mandated that service providers and app stores block X (formerly Twitter) within five days due to the company’s failure to appoint a legal representative, a requirement for foreign enterprises in Brazil. This decision adds another chapter to the ongoing conflict between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Elon Musk, who faces accusations of facilitating the spread of fake news and threats against justices.
This development signifies the banning of X in Brazil following a dispute that started in April between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Musk. Musk has exacerbated tensions by posting inflammatory tweets about Moraes, calling him an “evil dictator” and “an outright criminal masquerading as a judge.”
X functions as a platform for users to share short messages globally. Some countries have requested bans on specific topics due to local laws or censorship, with nations like China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela having completely banned X for its non-compliance. Elon Musk, as the owner of X, has been vocal against such forms of censorship.
In recent years, over a hundred supporters of the former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who are aligned with right-wing ideologies, have been censored by left-wing Justice Moraes. When Musk publicly supported the right-wing faction, Moraes intensified his crackdown. He initiated an investigation into Musk, accusing him of spreading disinformation, and froze the Brazilian financial accounts of Starlink.
Since the resignation of X’s former representative in Brazil, who left to avoid imprisonment, X has been operating without an official legal representative in the country. Justice Moraes used this as grounds to ban X, citing the company’s legal violation. Moraes further accused Musk and X of fostering extremism, hate speech, and anti-democratic rhetoric, aiming to evade jurisdictional control.
Service providers, app stores, and other companies involved in providing access to X are required to comply with the ban within five days, while telecommunications companies must enforce the block within 24 hours.
