Media platform X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, announced on Saturday that it would close its operations in Brazil “effective immediately” in response to what it described as “censorship orders” issued by Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes.
X claims that Judge Moraes secretly threatened one of the company’s legal representatives in Brazil, Rachel Nova Conceição, with arrest if the platform did not comply with orders to remove certain content.
The social media giant shared images of a document purportedly signed by Moraes, which stipulated a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and an arrest order against Conceição if X did not fully comply.
“To protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately,” X stated.
Brazil’s Supreme Court, where Moraes serves as a judge, declined to comment on the matter and did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the document shared by X.
Despite the closure of its operations, X confirmed that its service remains available to users in Brazil.
This development follows earlier actions by Judge Moraes, who ordered X to block certain accounts as part of an investigation into so-called “digital militias” accused of spreading fake news and hate speech during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Earlier this year, Moraes also launched an inquiry into Musk after the billionaire indicated he would reactivate accounts on X that had been blocked under the judge’s orders, calling Moraes’ decisions “unconstitutional.”
In response to Musk’s challenge, X later assured Brazil’s Supreme Court that it would comply with the legal rulings.
However, in April, X’s lawyers admitted that “operational faults” had allowed users who were ordered blocked to remain active on the platform.
In a series of posts on X on Saturday, Musk called Judge Moraes an “utter disgrace to justice” and claimed that the company could not comply with the judge’s “secret censorship and private information handover demands.”
