On Saturday, Elon Musk announced that the social media platform X would cease its operations in Brazil immediately due to alleged “censorship orders” from Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes.
X claims that Moraes secretly threatened arrest for one of its legal representatives in Brazil if the platform did not comply with orders to remove certain content. Brazil’s Supreme Court, where Moraes serves, has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Musk criticized Moraes on Twitter, saying that the judge’s demands would force X to violate multiple national and international laws and labeling him as a disgrace to justice.
Despite Musk’s statement, X’s service remains accessible in Brazil. Earlier this year, Moraes had ordered X to block specific accounts while investigating “digital militias” accused of spreading misinformation and hate during former president Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. Moraes also initiated an inquiry into Musk after he suggested reactivating blocked accounts, which Musk has deemed unconstitutional.
Following Musk’s objections, X initially promised to comply with Brazil’s Supreme Court’s rulings but later admitted operational issues had allowed some blocked accounts to remain active.
