X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its office in Brazil following a legal confrontation with Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. The social media platform announced the closure after de Moraes threatened to arrest X’s legal representative in Brazil if the company did not comply with his orders to block accounts accused of spreading disinformation.
The accounts targeted by de Moraes are reportedly linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro and are under investigation. After X’s owner, Elon Musk, criticised de Moraes, the judge imposed fines of 100,000 reais ($19,774) per day for any account reactivated by X and warned that the company’s Brazilian representatives could face legal consequences.
In response, X stated that its Brazilian staff had no control over content decisions and that the safety of its employees necessitated the closure. “The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes,” the company said, accusing the judge of actions “incompatible with democratic government.”
Musk called the decision to close the Brazil office “difficult” but argued that complying with de Moraes’ demands would have been indefensible. The move marks an escalation in tensions between the platform and Brazilian authorities, who have previously targeted Bolsonaro’s allies under de Moraes’ orders.
