Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, is shutting down its operations in Brazil while still allowing users to access the service. This decision highlights a conflict with Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is actively working to regulate fake news and hate speech in the country.
Key points include:
– Moraes allegedly threatened X’s legal representative with arrest if the platform did not comply with censorship directives.
– X’s Global Government Affairs department claims this threat was made via a secret order.
– Brazil’s Supreme Court has previously ordered the suspension of high-profile accounts, removal of specific posts, and hinted at shutting down platforms entirely for non-compliance.
– Musk described the office closure as a “difficult” decision.
– X’s user base in Brazil has declined by about 15% over the past year, currently totaling around 20 million active users.
– X provided an automated response to inquiries regarding this matter.
The ongoing tensions between Musk and Brazilian authorities continue to escalate as the court investigates his impending disregard for legal orders.
