Social media company owned by Elon Musk, X has stopped its operations in Brazil with effect from Saturday. The company said it did this because of a warning from a Brazilian Supreme Court judge named Alexandre de Moraes.
X says Moraes secretly ordered the arrest of their Brazil representative if X didn’t censor content as he demanded. X claims this was done without public notice and ignored fair legal procedures.
“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,” X stated.
X is frustrated that its multiple appeals to Brazil’s Supreme Court have been ignored, putting its staff at risk of legal action. However, the company will continue to provide its service to users in Brazil, even after closing its local office.
“We are deeply saddened that we have been forced to make this decision. The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes. His actions are incompatible with democratic government. The people of Brazil have a choice to make – democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes.” the statement is as follows
Earlier this year, Judge Moraes ordered X to block accounts linked to “digital militias” accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s government. After Elon Musk vowed to reinstate blocked accounts, Moraes launched an inquiry into Musk, who labeled the judge’s decisions on X as “unconstitutional”.
