A Supreme Court justice in Brazil has ordered the suspension of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, following Elon Musk's failure to appoint a legal representative for the company.
Supreme Court Justice's Order
Justice Alexandre de Moraes took action to suspend X's operations in Brazil after the August 29 deadline for Musk to designate a legal representative passed without compliance. According to an August 30 report by the Associated Press, X’s Global Government Affairs team stated that the platform “would not comply with [Moraes’] illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”
Elon Musk's Reaction
Elon Musk has publicly criticized Justice Moraes, labeling him “evil” and a “dictator,” and accusing him of engaging in “illegal political censorship.” Moraes has been investigating X for allegedly facilitating and promoting misinformation related to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
User Situation and Other Events
Despite the suspension order, reports from Brazilian X users indicate that they could still access the platform as of the time of publication. Statista reports that X has over 20 million users in Brazil, out of the country’s total population of approximately 217 million. Furthermore, the suspension comes shortly after a related development involving another Musk-owned company. On August 29, satellite firm Starlink reported that Justice Moraes had ordered the freezing of the company’s finances in Brazil. SpaceX, which is also owned by Musk, is the parent company of Starlink.
The situation regarding the suspension of X's operations in Brazil remains uncertain, especially amid ongoing criticism from Elon Musk towards Justice Moraes and related investigations.
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