Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is shutting down its local operations in Brazil after a bitter legal battle over the platform’s rights and liabilities, owner Elon Musk announced on Saturday.
The service will continue to be available to users in Brazil.
The shutdown is seen as the culmination of an ongoing legal battle between Musk and Brazil’s Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who says he is trying to combat the spread of dangerous misinformation online.
According to a post on Saturday by X’s Global Government Affairs division, Moraes “threatened to arrest his legal representative in Brazil if the censorship order was not complied with.”
The company said the closure of the offices was necessary “to ensure the safety of staff”, adding that “the responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes”.
The Brazilian government criticized X’s stance, with Digital Policy Minister João Brando calling out the company’s “pathetic attitude” on the platform.
He added that X would force “escalation that may lead to the blocking of the platform.”
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes speaks at an academic event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 11. Photo: Reuters
Moraes had previously ordered the suspension of several Twitter accounts suspected of spreading disinformation, including those belonging to supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who sought to discredit the voting system in the 2022 presidential election.
“Freedom of expression does not mean freedom of aggression,” Moraes said. “It does not mean the freedom to defend oppression.”
Moraes has been at the forefront of the fight against disinformation in South America’s largest country.
He is the president of Brazil’s High Electoral Court (TSE), which last year disqualified Bolsonaro from running for re-election after finding he had spread false information about the electoral system.
Musk and other critics say Moraes is part of a sweeping crackdown on free speech.
The CEO said on Saturday that if X had followed Moraes’ orders, “we would not be able to explain our actions without embarrassment.”
In April, Moraes ordered an investigation into Musk, and the order, seen by AFP, saw him accuse Musk of “criminal use” of the platform.
Moraes said Musk had reactivated accounts that had been banned, and threatened the billionaire with fines of around $20,000 each time he did so.
“Social networks are not lawless worlds,” Moraes writes.
Musk responded that X might lose revenue in Brazil, but “principles are more important than profits.”