“Censorship orders” issued by Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes have prompted X, a company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, to make a significant decision.
X alleges that Moraes covertly threatened one of the company’s
legal representatives in Brazil with arrest if they failed to comply with legal
directives to remove specific content from its platform.
The social media giant has released images of a document
purportedly signed by Moraes, indicating that a daily fine of 20,000 reais
($3,653) and an arrest warrant would be imposed against X representative Rachel
Nova Conceicao if the platform did not fully adhere to Moraes’ orders.
In light of these circumstances, X has made the difficult
decision to cease its operations in Brazil, effective immediately, in order to
safeguard the well-being and security of its employees.
"To protect the safety of our staff, we have made the
decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately," X said.
The Supreme Court of Brazil, where Moraes holds a position,
declined to comment on the matter and neither confirmed nor denied the
authenticity of the document shared by X.
The X service continues to be accessible to the citizens of
Brazil, as stated by the platform on Saturday.
Earlier this year, Moraes issued an order to X to block
specific accounts as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged “digital
militias” accused of disseminating false information and hateful messages
during the administration of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Moraes initiated an official investigation earlier this year
concerning the billionaire, Musk, following his declaration of reactivating
accounts on Platform X that the judge had previously ordered to be blocked.
Musk has publicly expressed his disagreement with Moraes’ decisions regarding Platform X,
labeling them as “unconstitutional.”
In response to Musk’s challenges, representatives of
Platform X reversed their initial stance and informed Brazil’s Supreme Court
that the social media giant would adhere to the legal rulings.
In April, lawyers representing Platform X in Brazil
addressed the Supreme Court, explaining that certain “operational issues” had
inadvertently allowed users who were previously ordered to be blocked to remain
active on the social media platform. This clarification was provided in
response to Mr. Moraes’ inquiry seeking an explanation for Platform X’s alleged
non-compliance with his decisions.
Mr. Musk, in his posts on Platform X on Saturday, expressed
strong disapproval of Judge Moraes’s actions, describing him as “utter disgrace
to justice”. He further asserted that the company could not have consented to
the judge’s covert censorship and private data transfer requests.