X Banned in Brazil After Company Refused to Comply with Court Order

(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media network , X, after the company refused to name a legal representative.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered internet providers in Brazil to stop providing access to X across the nation on Friday. Previously, the justice ordered the company to suspend certain accounts that he said broke Brazilian laws.

After Musk refused to comply with the Moraes’ order, X, formerly Twitter, closed its offices in Brazil after the justice threatened arrests. On Wednesday night, Moraes warned Musk that the company would be blocked in the country if he failed to comply with his order to name a representative within the deadline.

According to the Associated Press, the company has not had a legal representative in the country since the start of August. Moraes’ order demands that Brazilian internet service providers block X within five days. The order states that the ban will remain in place until X complies with his orders.

Moreover, individuals who attempt to access X via virtual private networks, or VPNs, will be subject to daily fines equivalent to $8,900.

Per The New York Times :

In an unusual move, Justice Moraes also froze the finances of another Musk business in Brazil, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-internet service, to try to collect fines he has levied against X. Starlink — which has recently exploded in popularity in Brazil, with more than 250,000 customers — said that it planned to fight the order and would make its service free in Brazil if necessary.

Mr. Musk and Justice Moraes have been sparring for months. Mr. Musk says Justice Moraes is illegally censoring conservative voices. Justice Moraes says Mr. Musk is illegally obstructing his work to rid the Brazilian internet of hate speech and attacks on democracy.