A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered the immediate nationwide suspension of social media platform “X” after the platform refused to appoint new legal representatives in an ongoing dispute.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered internet service providers and app stores to block X in Brazil within five days, and imposed a fine of 50,000 reais (around $9,000) per day for anyone using a virtual private network (VPN) or other methods to access the platform.
The order will remain in effect until the company complies with all court orders and pays all fines. release It is posted on the court's website.
Judge de Moraes on Wednesday ordered Mr. X to appoint a legal representative within 24 hours or face a ban on entering Brazil.
The platform's global government affairs team said Thursday night that it expects a judge will “soon” to order the platform shut down in the country “simply for refusing to comply with unlawful orders to censor political opponents.”
X closed its Brazilian offices earlier this month after Judge De Moraes ordered the company to disable certain accounts on the site, saying that if the social media company didn't comply, the judge would fine it $3,650 per day and order the arrest of its president, Rachel Nova Conceição.
“Freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy, and Brazil's unelected pseudo-judges are destroying it for political purposes,” said X owner Elon Musk. Written In a post on Friday.
“Brazil's repressive regime is so afraid that its people will know the truth that it will bankrupt anyone who tries to find out the truth,” he added. Another article.
The feud between Musk and De Moraes dates back to April, when the billionaire tech mogul initially challenged a Supreme Court order to block certain accounts on his platform, but X ultimately said it would comply with the ruling.
