X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is on the brink of being blocked in Brazil after missing a deadline to appoint a new legal representative in the country. The situation escalated after the company closed its office in Brazil earlier this month, citing threats of arrest against its previous representative for not complying with orders that X claims amount to "censorship."
The dispute began in April when Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of spreading disinformation. These accounts were largely linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. Elon Musk, who owns X, responded by threatening to reactivate the suspended accounts and publicly criticized Justice Moraes, calling him a "tyrant" and a "dictator."
Justice Moraes had set a 24-hour deadline for X to name a new legal representative or face suspension. The deadline passed at 20:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Thursday without compliance from X. The judge’s order stipulates that the ban will remain until X appoints a legal representative and pays fines for alleged violations of Brazilian law. Following the expiration of the deadline, X issued a statement indicating it would not comply with the order. The company argued that it refused to obey what it described as "illegal orders" to censor political opponents of Judge Moraes. X also announced plans to publish the judge’s demands in the coming days to maintain transparency.
The company’s defiance could lead to severe consequences in Brazil, where the legal and political climate surrounding social media platforms has become increasingly tense. Justice Moraes has been at the forefront of efforts to control the spread of disinformation, particularly from supporters of Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for his alleged involvement in an attempted coup on January 8, 2023.
In a related development, the bank accounts of Musk's satellite internet firm, Starlink, have been frozen in Brazil following an order from the Supreme Court. Starlink, which is a subsidiary of Musk's SpaceX, responded by denying responsibility for fines imposed on X, stating that the two companies are separate entities with different shareholders. The tensions between the Brazilian judiciary and social media companies are not new. Last year, Telegram was temporarily banned for failing to block certain profiles, and Meta’s WhatsApp faced similar bans in 2015 and 2016 for not complying with police requests for user data. As the situation unfolds, X’s future in Brazil remains uncertain, with the potential ban posing a significant challenge to Musk's plans for the platform and his broader business interests in the country. The outcome of this standoff could have far-reaching implications for how social media companies operate in jurisdictions with stringent content regulations.