On Saturday, social media platform X announced the suspension of its operations in Brazil, citing legal pressure from Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. X claimed that Moraes had threatened to arrest its legal representative in Brazil, Rachel Nova Conceicao, due to the platform's non-compliance with the court's content moderation orders. X also shared images of a document allegedly issued by Moraes, detailing a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and an arrest warrant for Conceicao if the platform failed to comply. The Brazilian Supreme Court has not issued a response regarding the situation or the authenticity of the document.
The Supreme Court had launched a federal investigation about the former President Jair Bolsonaro and requested X to block certain accounts, mainly those they accused of spreading disinformation in favor of Bolsonaro. They also demanded data of specific accounts as part of the investigation. However, X did not fulfill the court's request, which resulted in threats and ultimately led to the shutdown of their operations in Brazil. X stated that the decision to suspend operations in Brazil was made to ensure the safety of its staff. However, despite the suspension of local business activities—such as maintaining offices, employing staff, and engaging with regulators—the platform remains accessible to users in Brazil. This indicates that X did not restrict access to its service within the country.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, commented that due to Moraes’ demands that would require them to break Brazilian and international law, X had no choice but to close their local operations in Brazil. He stated that the decision was difficult, however, if they had agreed to Moraes’ “illegal” secret censorship and demands to handover private information, there was no way they could explain their actions without being ashamed. Musk expressed deep regret over the decision to suspend operations in Brazil, stating that it was forced by the actions of Justice Moraes, which he described as "incompatible with democratic government." He further urged Brazilians to choose between democracy and Moraes, calling the justice "an utter disgrace to justice.”
This is not the first dispute between Musk and Brazil’s government. In April, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge filed an inquiry to Elon Musk after he said he would reactivate accounts on X that the judge had ordered to be blocked. Musk posted on the X platform that they had lifted the restrictions because the court order was unconstitutional and called for Moraes’ resignation. Senior members of the Brazilian government criticized Musk. Paulo Pimenta, the Communications Minister, said they will not let anyone, no matter their wealth or power, disrespect their country and the Federal Solicitor General, Jorge Messias commented that they will not let internet platforms or big tech companies undermine their sovereignty. This dispute signaled the beginning of a rift between X and the Brazilian government.
Following the supreme court's move, Brazil joined the countries that applied bans and restrictions on social media platforms in 2024. Türkiye imposed restrictions on X earlier in 2024 to overcome the spread of misinformation following the devastating earthquakes in the region. Earlier this month, Türkiye blocked access to Instagram for nine days, citing the platform's failure to comply with national laws. Similarly, in May 2024, Pakistan temporarily restricted access to major social media platforms, including X, Facebook, and YouTube, in response to political unrest following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Additionally, countries such as North Korea, Russia, India and China continue their restrictions on various social media platforms, including X, due to political concerns. Restrictions on X have reignited the debate on freedom of expression, showing that this issue remains unresolved even after centuries of discourse.