Social media platform X announced on Saturday that it will cease operations in Brazil “effective immediately” due to what it called “censorship orders” issued by Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes, reports Reuters.
X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, alleges that Moraes secretly threatened one of its legal representatives in Brazil with arrest if the company did not comply with orders to remove certain content from its platform. The company published what it claimed was a document signed by Moraes, stating that a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and an arrest decree would be imposed on X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao if the platform failed to fully comply with Moraes’ directives.
“To protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately,” X said in a statement.
Despite the closure announcement, X service remains accessible to users in Brazil, according to the platform.
Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts as part of an investigation into “digital militias” accused of spreading misinformation and hate messages during the presidency of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Moraes initiated an inquiry into Musk after the billionaire announced plans to reactivate accounts that the judge had ordered blocked. Musk has criticized Moraes’ decisions as “unconstitutional.”
Following Musk’s objections, X representatives initially indicated compliance with Moraes’ orders but later reversed course.
In April, X’s legal team in Brazil told the Supreme Court that “operational faults” had allowed users who were supposed to be blocked to remain active on the platform.
Musk, in posts on X on Saturday, described Moraes as an “utter disgrace to justice” and said the company could not agree to the judge’s “secret censorship and private information handover demands.”
