Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Friday ordered the immediate suspension of social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) in the country after the company failed to comply with a court order to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, Reuters reports, UNN reports.
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The move is the next stage in a long-running dispute between Moraes and Elon Musk, which also included the freezing of the financial accounts of Starlink, a 40%-owned satellite Internet provider in Brazil.
In the ruling, Moraes ordered the complete and immediate suspension of X's operations in Brazil until the company complies with all court requirements, including paying fines of R$18.5 million ($3.28 million) and appointing a legal representative in the country. The telecommunications regulator Anatel is responsible for implementing the decision, which must confirm compliance with the court order within 24 hours.
To prevent the use of VPNs to circumvent the blocking, Moraes said that individuals or companies that try to continue accessing the social network in this way could be fined up to R$50,000 per day.
X had previously expected Moraes to soon issue an order to stop the platform's operation after the court-ordered deadline for appointing a legal representative expired. Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block some accounts related to an investigation into so-called “digital militias” accused of spreading distorted news and hate.
Musk, calling these actions censorship, responded by closing X's offices in Brazil, although the platform continued to provide its services in the country. As the conflict escalated, the Brazilian Supreme Court also blocked Starlink's local bank accounts, leading the company to ask the court to suspend this decision.