X Suspends Operations in Brazil Following Censorship Conflict with Supreme Court Judge

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has shut down its office in Brazil following a contentious standoff with a Brazilian Supreme Court judge. The platform announced the closure on Saturday, citing threats of arrest made against its legal representative in Brazil by Judge Alexandre de Moraes if the company did not comply with his “censorship orders.”

The dispute centres around Judge Moraes’ directive to block certain X accounts accused of spreading disinformation, many of which are linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. After X’s owner, Elon Musk, publicly criticized Moraes, the judge imposed daily fines of 100,000 reais ($19,774; £15,670) for any accounts that X reactivated. He also placed Musk under investigation for potential obstruction of justice, among other charges.

X responded by stating that its Brazilian staff had no control over content decisions and condemned the threats against them. “As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately,” the company said in a statement, placing the responsibility squarely on Judge Moraes. The statement added, “His actions are incompatible with democratic government.”

Musk further expressed his discontent on X, asserting that “there was no question that Moraes needs to leave.” He described the decision to close the Brazilian office as “difficult” but argued that complying with Moraes’ demands would have compromised the company’s integrity.

The closure has sparked significant controversy, especially among supporters of Bolsonaro, who have long criticized Moraes for his actions against the former president’s allies. Despite the office closure, people in Brazil can still access and use X. The Brazilian Supreme Court has not commented on the situation.