X has announced the immediate cessation of its business operations in Brazil, though the platform will remain accessible to users in the country. The decision follows a threat from Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court, who allegedly warned that one of X’s legal representatives would face arrest if the company did not comply with his “censorship orders.”
According to Reuters, de Moraes demanded the removal of certain content from X’s platform. Instead of complying, X has chosen to end its local operations to ensure the safety of its staff.
X claims that de Moraes issued the threat through a “secret order,” which the company has since made public. Elon Musk, owner of X, stated that the order would have forced the company to violate Brazilian, Argentinian, American, and international laws. He added, “The decision to close the X office in Brazil was difficult, but agreeing to Alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands would have left us unable to justify our actions.”
Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.
Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard,… https://t.co/Pm2ovyydhE
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024
In a statement released by X’s Global Government Affairs account, the company expressed disappointment that its appeals to the Supreme Court were ignored and criticized de Moraes for threatening their staff rather than respecting the law and due process. X stated, “The people of Brazil have a choice to make—democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes.”
Musk has been vocal in his opposition to de Moraes for months. In April, he declared he would defy orders from the justice to block certain accounts in Brazil, arguing that the orders were unconstitutional. In response, de Moraes initiated an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. Later that month, X stated it would comply with all orders issued by Brazil’s top courts.
Additionally, in April, the House Judiciary Committee released a report alleging that the Brazilian government was pressuring X and other social media platforms to censor over 300 accounts, including those of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a federal senator, and a journalist.
X currently does not have a public relations team available for comment.
