Brazil Supreme Court ordered to suspend the activities of the social network X (previously known as Twitter) in the country due to non-compliance with the platform for the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil. Judge Alexander de Moes, who has been in confrontation with the owner of X, Elon Musk, issued a decree for the immediate suspension of X in the country until all court orders are fulfilled, fines are paid, and a new legal representative is appointed.
The National Telecommunications Agency has been given 24 hours to execute the decision, which involves more than 20,000 broadband internet providers in the country blocking access to X. The court also initially demanded technological barriers from Apple and Google to prevent the use of X on iOS and Android devices, but this part of the order was cancelled to avoid complicating matters for third-party companies.
A fine of 50,000 reactions per day will be imposed on any person or company using workarounds like VPN to access X after the block. The deadline for X to appoint a new legal representative has passed, with the social network announcing that it will not comply with this requirement.
Elon Musk responded to the situation by accusing Brazil of suppressing the truth and attempting to ruin anyone who tries to spread it. Brazilian President Luis Inasiu Lula da Silva commented on the issue, stating that having a lot of money does not give Musk the right to disrespect the country’s laws.
The conflict between X and Brazilian authorities began in April when accounts were suspended for alleged dissemination of disinformation. Musk criticized the move as censorship. It’s worth noting that the social network X is also prohibited in the Russian Federation.