Brazil Set to Block X as Platform Refuses to Comply with Supreme Court Censorship Orders

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, faces imminent blockage in Brazil after failing to meet a crucial deadline to appoint a new legal representative in the country. Earlier this month, X had shut down its office in Brazil, citing threats of arrest against its representative for not adhering to what it described as “censorship orders.”

The conflict began in April when Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of multiple X accounts accused of spreading disinformation. The accounts in question were allegedly linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded defiantly, threatening to reactivate the suspended accounts and labeling Justice Moraes a “tyrant” and a “dictator.”

The latest order from Justice Moraes gave X a 24-hour ultimatum to appoint a new legal representative or face suspension. The deadline passed at 20:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Thursday, with X publicly declaring that it had not complied with the court’s directive. In an official post, the company accused Justice Moraes of overstepping his authority, claiming that the judge’s orders required them to violate Brazilian laws, which they refused to do. X vowed to publish the judge’s demands in the coming days to maintain transparency.

Justice Moraes’ order stated that the ban on X would remain until the company appointed a legal representative in Brazil and paid fines for alleged breaches of the country’s laws. He also warned that X’s legal representatives would be held accountable if any of the suspended accounts were reactivated.

In a related development, the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, were frozen in Brazil by the Supreme Court. Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, responded on X, calling the court’s decision “unconstitutional” and stressing that Starlink and X are entirely separate entities with different shareholders.

Starlink had been operating in Brazil since receiving approval from then-President Bolsonaro’s government in 2022, with a focus on providing internet services to remote areas, particularly in the Amazon region.

Justice Moraes, known for his tough stance on social media regulation, has gained significant attention for his actions, including investigating Bolsonaro and his supporters in connection with an alleged coup attempt on January 8 last year.

X is not the first social media platform to face challenges in Brazil. Telegram was temporarily banned last year for failing to cooperate with court orders to block certain accounts, and WhatsApp, owned by Meta, also faced temporary bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to provide user data to law enforcement authorities.