Sao Paulo: A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the suspension of Elon Musk's social media platform, X, in Brazil after Musk refused to name a legal representative in the country, according to a decision seen by The Associated Press. The move on Friday escalates the ongoing feud between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes over issues related to free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation.

Justice de Moraes had warned Musk on Wednesday that X could be blocked in Brazil if he failed to comply with the order to name a representative, setting a 24-hour deadline. X hasn't had a representative in the country since earlier this month. In his decision, de Moraes gave internet service providers and app stores five days to block access to X, stating that the platform would remain blocked until it complies. He also imposed a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for individuals or companies using VPNs to access X.

“Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country,” de Moraes wrote.

Brazil is an important market for X, which has struggled with advertiser loss since Musk purchased the former Twitter in 2022. According to market research group Emarketer, about 40 million Brazilians, roughly one-fifth of the population, access X at least once per month.

Late Thursday, X posted on its official Global Government Affairs page that it expected to be shut down by de Moraes “simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.” X claimed that when it tried to defend itself in court, de Moraes threatened its Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment. Even after she resigned, de Moraes froze her bank accounts. X stated its challenges against his actions were dismissed or ignored, and that other Supreme Court justices have been unable or unwilling to oppose de Moraes.

X has clashed with de Moraes over its reluctance to comply with orders to block users, including lawmakers affiliated with former President Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing party and activists accused of undermining Brazilian democracy. Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist," has repeatedly criticized the justice's actions as censorship, a view echoed by Brazil's political right. He has often insulted de Moraes on X, calling him a dictator and tyrant.

De Moraes' defenders argue his actions against X are lawful, supported by the majority of the court's full bench, and serve to protect democracy. His order is based on Brazilian law requiring foreign companies to have local representation for legal notifications.

Given the publicity of the standoff and the straightforward compliance requirements, X could be offline as soon as 12 hours after receiving instructions, according to Luca Belli, coordinator of the Technology and Society Center at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.

The shutdown is not unprecedented in Brazil. Meta's WhatsApp was shut down multiple times in 2015 and 2016 over the company's refusal to comply with police data requests. In 2022, de Moraes threatened to block Telegram for ignoring Brazilian authorities' requests, but the company eventually complied and stayed online.

X and its predecessor, Twitter, have been banned in several countries, mostly authoritarian regimes such as Russia, China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan. Temporary suspensions have also occurred in countries like Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt, often to suppress dissent.

Following the suspension order, many Brazilian users on X were seeking information about VPNs to continue accessing the platform from outside the country. It remains unclear how authorities will enforce fines related to VPN usage.

Mariana de Souza Alves Lima, known as MariMoon, told her 1.4 million followers that she would be moving to the rival social network BlueSky, sharing a screenshot and saying: “That is where I'm going.”

X stated it plans to publish de Moraes' “illegal demands” and related court filings “in the interest of transparency.” On Thursday, Starlink, Musk's satellite internet provider, also revealed that de Moraes had frozen its finances in Brazil, where it has over 250,000 customers. Starlink called the order unfounded and issued without due process, vowing to address the matter legally.

Musk responded to reports of the freeze with insults directed at de Moraes, calling him “an outright criminal of the worst kind, masquerading as a judge.” Musk later announced that SpaceX, which operates Starlink, would provide free internet service in Brazil “until the matter is resolved,” as the company is unable to receive payments but does not wish to disconnect customers.

Justice de Moraes explained that he froze Starlink's assets because X lacked sufficient funds to cover mounting fines, noting that the two companies are part of the same economic group. (AP)