X Shuts Down Operations in Brazil Amidst Legal Battle with Supreme Court Justice Over Censorship Demands

X Shuts Down Operations in Brazil Amidst Legal Battle with Supreme Court Justice Over Censorship Demands

X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced the immediate cessation of its business operations in Brazil, although the platform will remain accessible to users in the country. This decision comes after Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court, allegedly threatened to arrest one of X's legal representatives if the company did not comply with his orders to remove specific content from the platform.

The Reason Behind X's Decision

Rather than complying with the demands to remove certain content, X chose to shut down its local operations to safeguard its staff. According to a statement from X, de Moraes issued the threat through a "secret order," which the company made public. Elon Musk, the owner of X, claimed that complying with the order would have forced the company to violate Brazilian, Argentinian, American, and international laws in secrecy. Musk expressed that the decision to close the Brazil office was tough, but necessary to maintain the company's integrity.

Musk's Ongoing Dispute with Brazilian Authorities

Musk has been vocal in his opposition to de Moraes for several months. In April, Musk openly defied orders from the legislator to block certain accounts in Brazil, calling the demands unconstitutional. This defiance led de Moraes to launch an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. Despite this, X stated later in April that it would comply with all orders issued by Brazil's top courts.

Allegations of Censorship by the Brazilian Government

In the same month, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee released a report accusing the Brazilian government of attempting to coerce X and other social media platforms into censoring over 300 accounts. These accounts reportedly included those of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a federal senator, and a journalist. X has since maintained its stance against these censorship demands, leading to escalating tensions with the Brazilian judiciary.

X's Statement on the Situation

In a statement posted on its Global Government Affairs account, X criticized de Moraes' actions as being "incompatible with democratic government." The company asserted that the Brazilian public deserves to know about these censorship orders and emphasized that its Brazilian staff had no control over content blocking on the platform. X concluded by urging the people of Brazil to choose between democracy and the actions of Alexandre de Moraes.