SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil's Supreme Court ordered on Friday the “immediate suspension” of social media platform X in the country, after a court-imposed deadline for the company to appoint a lawyer in Brazil expired.
The move is the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and Elon Musk, which has also included the freezing of the financial accounts of satellite internet provider Starlink in Brazil.
In the ruling, Moraes ordered the full and immediate suspension of X from the country until all court orders related to X are complied with, including the payment of fines of up to 18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) and the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil.
Moraes ordered Anatel's communications director to implement the suspension order, and to confirm to the court within 24 hours that it has been implemented.
In an effort to avoid the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to avoid being blocked, Moraes said that people or companies that try to maintain access to social networks in this way can be fined 50,000 reais per day.
UX said Thursday night that it expects Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes to order the closure “soon,” after a court-imposed deadline for the company to appoint a legal representative in Brazil expires.
Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts involved in the investigation of so-called digital soldiers accused of spreading distorted and hateful news.
Musk, denouncing the order as censorship, responded by closing the platform's offices in Brazil. IX, formerly known as Twitter, said at the time that its services would still be available in Brazil.
Amid the simmering dispute over X, Brazil's Supreme Court also blocked local bank accounts of satellite internet company Starlink, which Musk owns 40% of, prompting the company on Friday to ask the court to halt the decision.
($1 = 5.6349 reais)
(This story has been reposted to correct the spelling of the word 'quickly' in paragraph 1)
