Elon Musk’s X Ceases Brazil Operations Over Alleged Censorship Orders

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its business operations in Brazil following a heated dispute with Alexandre de Moraes, the president of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court. 

Despite the shutdown of its local offices, the platform will remain accessible to users in the country. The conflict arose after de Moraes allegedly issued a “secret order” demanding that X remove specific content from its platform, threatening to arrest one of X’s legal representatives if the company failed to comply. 

Elon Musk, the owner of X, publicly shared the details of the order, asserting that adhering to these demands would force the company to violate Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international laws. Faced with the choice of complying or protecting its employees, X opted to close its operations in Brazil.

Musk has been an outspoken critic of de Moraes, labeling his actions as incompatible with democratic principles. In April, Musk openly defied court orders from de Moraes that he deemed unconstitutional, prompting the justice to launch an obstruction of justice inquiry against him. Although X initially declared its intent to comply with Brazil’s top courts, the ongoing tensions have escalated to the point of the company pulling out of the country entirely.

The situation is further complicated by a report from the US House Judiciary Committee, which in April accused the Brazilian government of attempting to coerce X and other social media platforms into censoring over 300 accounts, including those of former President Jair Bolsonaro and other prominent figures.