Brazilian Top Court Issues Warning to X and CEO Elon Musk Amid Legal Challenges

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has threatened to suspend X, formerly known as Twitter, if CEO Elon Musk fails to appoint a new legal representative for the platform's operations in the country.

Earlier this month, Musk shut down X's business operations in Brazil while maintaining user access, following his accusations that the judge had threatened the company’s previous legal representative.

In an order made public Wednesday, Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Musk "to appoint the company's new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours." In the event of non-compliance with the order, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network's activities in Brazil.

Moraes has spearheaded the battle against disinformation in South America's largest nation, clashing with Musk along the way. Musk and other critics have said Moraes is part of a sweeping crackdown on free speech.

Justifying the shutdown of the offices, Musk stated that had X complied with de Moraes's orders, "there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed." Moraes previously ordered the suspension of several Twitter accounts suspected of spreading disinformation, including those of supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who tried to discredit the voting system in the 2022 presidential election, which he lost.

In April, X admitted that several users of blocked accounts had managed to circumvent the restrictions. Musk is also under investigation for an alleged scheme involving public money used to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him.