Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the immediate suspension of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, as tensions between the court and tech billionaire Elon Musk continue to escalate. The decision, handed down by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday, came after X failed to comply with a court-mandated deadline to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
Justice Moraes didn’t hold back, mandating that X be fully suspended in the country until it complies with all outstanding court orders. This includes paying fines totaling 18.5 million reais (approximately $3.28 million) and naming an official representative within Brazil. The ruling also tasked Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, with enforcing the suspension, with a 24-hour deadline to confirm that X is no longer accessible in the country.
The stakes are high as Moraes also issued a warning to individuals or companies attempting to bypass the suspension using virtual private networks (VPNs). Those caught could face fines of up to 50,000 reais per day for defying the order.
This legal clash is the latest in an ongoing feud between Justice Moraes and Musk. Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to block several accounts linked to investigations into so-called digital militias accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech. Musk fired back, labeling the move as censorship and promptly closing X’s offices in Brazil, although the platform continued to operate in the country.
But the conflict doesn’t stop there. Brazil’s Supreme Court has also frozen the local financial accounts of Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet company. The court’s actions have led Starlink, in which Musk owns a 40% stake, to seek a reversal of the decision.
