Elon Musk's social network X faces ban in Brazil - Reuters

Judge Alexandre de Moraes issued the ruling after the 24-hour deadline he set for X (formerly Twitter) to appoint an official representative in Brazil expired.

The court order mandates the complete and immediate suspension of X’s operations in Brazil until all relevant court rulings are fully complied with. These include:

• payment of fines amounting to 18.5 million reais (approximately $3.28 million) for the platform's refusal to remove accounts that the court deemed to be spreading false information;
• appointment of a legal representative in Brazil.

Moraes also stated that to prevent the use of VPNs to bypass the ban, individuals or companies attempting to maintain access to the social media platform could face fines of 50,000 reais per day (around $8,840).

According to the BBC, X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, will cease operations in Brazil within the next 24 hours. The court’s ruling will be enforced by Brazilian internet service providers.

Furthermore, the decision also affects Apple and Google, which are required to remove the X app from their platforms within five days in Brazil.

What preceded this

Earlier this year, Judge Moraes ordered X (formerly Twitter) to suspend dozens of accounts that were allegedly spreading misinformation.

Elon Musk condemned the order as censorship and responded by closing the platform's offices in Brazil. At the time, X stated that its services would continue to be available in Brazil despite the closures.

Reuters also reported that amidst the conflict over X, Brazil's Supreme Court froze local bank accounts of Starlink, 40% of which is owned by Musk. On Friday, following the account freeze, the company filed a court appeal seeking to overturn the decision.