Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has issued an ultimatum to billionaire Elon Musk, demanding that he appoint a legal representative for his messaging platform, X, in Brazil within 24 hours or face the suspension of the service in the country. The court order, announced on Wednesday, puts Musk’s platform at risk of being temporarily shut down.
Earlier this month, X, formerly known as Twitter, announced its decision to close its operations and lay off its staff in Brazil, citing what it referred to as “censorship orders” issued by Justice de Moraes. Despite the planned closure of its local operations, X stated that its service would remain accessible to users in Brazil.
The Brazilian Supreme Court highlighted Wednesday’s ruling by posting a screenshot of the court decision on its X account, tagging both Elon Musk’s and X’s Global Government Affairs accounts.
➡️ @STF_oficial intima Elon Musk e X a indicarem representante legal em até 24 horas, sob pena de suspensão de atividades no Brasil ⚖️ https://t.co/SV21xQcJue
— STF (@STF_oficial) August 28, 2024
In a statement on its website, the Brazillian apex court wrote (translated to English):
“Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), summoned on Wednesday night (28) businessman Elon Musk, owner of the social network X (formerly Twitter), to indicate, within 24 hours, the new legal representative of the company in Brazil.
“The summons was made through a post on the Court’s official profile on the social network itself. The lawyer appointed in the proceedings was also summoned, on 08/18/2024, to present the information.
“In case of non-compliance with the determination, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network’s activities in Brazil.
“Musk is being investigated in Inquiry (INQ) 4957 , which investigates the alleged practice of the crimes of obstruction of justice, criminal organisation, and incitement to crime.”
As of now, X has not provided an immediate response to requests for comment made outside of normal working hours.
In his ruling, Justice de Moraes referred to Brazilian internet regulations, which stipulate that companies failing to comply with local laws or safeguarding the confidentiality of private information could face temporary suspension of their activities.
