X Shuts Down Brazil Operations in Standoff with Supreme Court
The platform itself remains accessible in the country, however it raises questions about the balance between free speech and the regulation of harmful content.
In a dramatic escalation of its ongoing feud with Brazilian authorities, social media platform X(Twitter), has abruptly shut down its operations in the country.
The decision comes in response to a clash with the Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes who is leading an investigation into election disinformation and online "digital militias," and has been at loggerheads with X over the platform's content moderation policies.
The company in a post from its global government affairs account claims that Moraes has overstepped his authority by demanding the removal of specific accounts, including those of current parliamentarians.
X accused Moraes of issuing "secret orders" and threatening to arrest its legal representative if it didn't comply. This allegedly includes a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and a possible arrest decree imposed against X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao. Meanwhile, the company maintains that its Brazilian staff had no control over content moderation and that they were caught in the crossfire of a political battle.
This isn't the first act in this debacle. In April, X's outspoken owner, Elon Musk, previously defied Moraes' orders to block accounts, sparking an obstruction of justice investigation by the Judge against Musk himself. X later backtracked and agreed to comply, but tensions remained simmering.
Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024
Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard,… pic.twitter.com/Pm2ovyydhE
X's departure leaves a gaping hole in Brazil's social media sphere. While the platform itself remains accessible to its estimated 20 million users in the country, according to data firm Sensor Tower, it raises questions about the balance between free speech and the regulation of harmful content, and it's likely to have far-reaching implications for both the platform and Brazil.
As the situation unfolds, the world is watching to see how this high-stakes standoff between a tech giant and a powerful government figure will play out.
Fishon Amos
