Brazil's Supreme Court issues 24-hour ultimatum to Elon Musk, threatens to suspend X

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has given Elon Musk 24 hours to appoint a legal representative for his messaging platform, X (formerly Twitter), in Brazil. If he fails to comply, X could be suspended in the country. The court's decision was posted on its X account, tagging both Musk and X's Global Government Affairs accounts.

Musk and Moraes clash over content orders

Earlier this month, X announced it would stop its operations and lay off its staff in Brazil due to what it called "censorship orders" from Judge Alexandre de Moraes. X claimed Moraes threatened one of its legal representatives with arrest for not removing certain content. Moraes stated that companies must follow Brazilian laws and can face suspension if they don’t.

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Musk responded to the ruling by accusing Moraes of repeatedly violating the laws he is supposed to uphold. Moraes had previously ordered X to block accounts involved in spreading fake news and hate messages. Musk challenged this order, leading Moraes to investigate him. X later agreed to follow the court’s decisions but claimed “operational faults” allowed some blocked users to remain active.

The public reaction to the dispute has been mixed. Many users in Brazil shared memes about the situation, while others criticized Moraes for restricting freedom of speech. Some supported Moraes, arguing that no one should be above Brazilian law.