Brazil's supreme court ordered the immediate suspension of X (formerly Twitter)'s operations in the country after the social media platform failed to appoint a legal representative by the court's deadline. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, involved in a dispute with X's owner Elon Musk, mandated that the suspension remain until X complies with all court orders, pays fines, and appoints a new representative.
The National Telecommunications Agency has 24 hours to enforce the suspension, requiring over 20,000 internet providers to block X. Although Justice Moraes initially ordered Apple and Google to block the app and VPNs, this directive was later withdrawn, pending further statements from X and Musk.
The conflict began in April when Moraes ordered the suspension of accounts spreading disinformation, which Musk called censorship. X has operated without a legal representative in Brazil since 17 August, following Musk's decision to cease operations due to what he called "censorship orders". Despite this, X remains accessible in the country.
Moraes' April order was tied to an investigation into digital militias supporting former president Jair Bolsonaro. After Musk's refusal to comply, Moraes included him in the investigation, and on Wednesday, gave X 24 hours to appoint a legal representative or face suspension.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva insisted that foreign investors, including Musk, must respect Brazilian laws. Meanwhile, Moraes also froze the bank accounts of Musk's Starlink to enforce fines against X, which total R$18.3m (£2.5m). Starlink remains operational and has requested the court to lift or limit the freeze.
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