X Shuts Down Offices in Brazil Following Clash with Supreme Court Judge

Social media platform X  ceased business operations in Brazil following a spat with the country’s Supreme Court over censorship in the site.

According to a post made by X through its Global Government affairs account, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes threatened to imprison the company’s legal representative in Brazil for refusing to take down specific content and accounts.

“Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders,” X informed in its post. “Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process. As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately.”

While X shut down its offices in the country, it assured that the site would remain active for Brazilian users.

Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.

Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard,… pic.twitter.com/Pm2ovyydhE

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024

X had reinstated several accounts that were banned before Elon Musk acquired the company.

As a response to these reinstatements, Judge Moraes imposed daily fines of US$19,774 for each reactivated account, arguing that the accounts were spreading misinformation and fostering what he described as “tyranny” within the country.

As of early 2023, Brazil ranked as X’s fourth-largest market, with nearly 20 million users. The platform’s closure is expected to place additional pressure on Judge Moraes, who has a record of ordering the removal of numerous social media accounts.

It’s relatively common for governments to request the removal of specific posts of accounts to platforms such as X. The company has a history of complying with such petitions, even when they’re supported by laws that are considered censorious or outright authoritarian. It’s been reported that things haven’t changed much under Musk’s leadership.