Elon Musk, the CEO of X, was threatened on Wednesday by a judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court with suspending the company’s operations if he does not appoint a new legal agent for Twitter’s operations in Brazil.
Musk claimed the court was threatening the company’s former attorney earlier this month, so he closed down X’s business operations in Brazil while maintaining user access to the social media platform.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes gave Musk an order that was made public on Wednesday, directing him “to appoint the company’s new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours.”
“In the event of non-compliance with the order, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network’s activities in Brazil.”
Moraes has spearheaded the battle against disinformation in South America’s largest nation, clashing with Musk along the way.
Musk and other critics have said Moraes is part of a sweeping crackdown on free speech.
Musk justified the office closure by stating that “there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed” if X had followed de Moraes’s instructions.
In the past, Moraes issued an order suspending a number of Twitter accounts that were thought to be disseminating false information. Among these accounts were those belonging to supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, a former far-right president who attempted to undermine the election process during the 2022 presidential election, a race he lost.
X said in April that a few people with prohibited accounts had been able to get beyond the limitations.
A legal probe into an alleged scheme involving the use of public funds to plan disinformation efforts supporting Bolsonaro and his associates is also focused on Musk.
