Brazil Supreme Court justice threatens to shut down X operations over legal representation dispute

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday threatened to close the local operations of X, formerly known as Twitter, unless billionaire owner Elon Musk appoints a legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours.

The directive from Justice Alexandre de Moraes marks the latest escalation in an ongoing conflict with Musk's platform. The company clashed with de Moraes earlier this year over issues like free speech, accounts linked to the far-right, and misinformation on the platform, and it claims to be a target of censorship.

Earlier this month, X announced it was terminating all remaining staff in Brazil "effective immediately," stating that de Moraes had threatened its legal representative in the country with arrest.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court notified X of de Moraes' order in response to a post from the company's global government affairs account on the social platform.

"In case of non-compliance with the determination, the decision could bring about suspension of the social media network's activities in Brazil," the court stated in a release.

In the United States, free speech is a constitutional right that is far more lenient than in many countries, including Brazil, where de Moraes in April initiated an investigation into Musk over the spread of defamatory fake news and another inquiry over potential obstruction, incitement, and criminal organisation.

Brazil's political right has long portrayed de Moraes as overreaching to suppress free speech and engage in political persecution. His supporters argue his actions are lawful, backed by at least the majority of the court's bench, and have been necessary to safeguard democracy in a time when it is under threat.