A Brazilian judge has, on August 30, 2024, ordered the suspension of social media platform X, following Elon Musk’s failure to appoint a new legal representative in the country. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to restrict access to X within 24 hours and has given Apple and Google five days to remove the app from their stores. Users attempting to access X via VPNs will face daily fines of 50,000 Brazilian real (approximately $8,900 USD).
Musk had previously closed X’s offices in Brazil, accusing de Moraes of threatening arrest over alleged censorship issues. On August 28, the Supreme Court notified X that the app would face a ban if a new legal representative was not appointed within 24 hours.
Musk criticized the ruling, claiming it undermines free speech and accusing de Moraes of political motivations. The conflict dates back to April, when de Moraes launched an investigation into X after Musk reinstated accounts linked to misinformation and supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
X has vowed to publish de Moraes’ demands and court filings, maintaining that it cannot comply with Brazil’s laws as enforced by the judge. Additionally, Starlink, another Musk-affiliated company, reported that its finances have been frozen under an order linked to the fines against X.
Brazilian law requires major platforms to have a legal representative in the country, and similar bans have previously affected other social media services.
Shongjog 