Court bans X in Brazil

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the “immediate suspension” of the social media platform X in Brazil after the company missed a court-imposed deadline to appoint a legal representative in the country.

This latest development is part of an ongoing dispute between Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Elon Musk, which has previously seen the freezing of financial accounts for the satellite internet provider Starlink in Brazil.

Justice de Moraes directed the full suspension of X until it complies with all court orders, including the payment of fines totaling 18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) and the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil. He instructed telecommunications regulator Anatel to enforce the suspension and to confirm its implementation to the court within 24 hours.

To prevent the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the suspension, de Moraes warned that individuals or companies attempting to access X through such means could face fines of up to 50,000 reais ($8,900) per day.

X had anticipated this action after the deadline expired, noting that a shutdown was likely. Earlier this year, de Moraes had ordered X to block certain accounts linked to investigations into digital militias accused of spreading misinformation and hate. Musk denounced this as censorship and subsequently closed X’s offices in Brazil, although the platform’s services continued.

In addition to the conflict with X, Brazil’s Supreme Court had also frozen the bank accounts of Starlink, which is 40 percent owned by Musk. On Friday, Starlink sought a suspension of this decision from the court.