Social media platform X is closing its office in Brazil amid a legal battle with the South American country’s Supreme Court over a so-called secret order to remove some of the site’s posts in Brazil, a statement of the company on X.
Users in Brazil can still use the social media site.
“The decision to close the office in Brazil was difficult, but if we had agreed to @alexandre“The (illegal) secret censorship and demands for private information left us with no way to explain our actions without feeling ashamed,” Musk wrote on X.
X posted a screenshot of the order of Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is investigating digital militias accused of spreading fake news and hate speech during the government of far-right former President Jair Bolsanaro.
As part of the alleged order, Moraes said he would impose a $3,650 daily fine and an arrest warrant on X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao if the platform did not comply with Moraes’ order.
“Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we did not comply with his censorship orders. He did this in a secret order, which we are sharing here to expose his actions,” the company wrote on X.
“Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed of these orders, and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” they added.
The company added that it was “deeply saddened” to have been “forced,” but the responsibility “lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes.”
Earlier that year, Moraes ordered X to block some of those accounts. X complied, and then Musk said he would reactivate the accounts on X that the judge had ordered blocked. Musk called Moraes’ decision regarding X “unconstitutional.”
After Musk made his comments, X representatives spoke reversed They have informed the Brazilian Supreme Court that they will abide by the legal rulings.
Brazil’s Supreme Court declined to comment to Reuters on X’s allegations and did not confirm the accuracy of the image posted by the social media company.
After Musk decided to close X’s Brazilian operations, he also posted on X that Moraes “must go.”
“There is no question that Moraes must go,” Musk wrote. “Having a ‘justice’ who repeatedly and flagrantly violates the law is no justice at all.”
Nikolas Ferreira, a member of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies and a prominent right-wing politician on social media, said Brazil will “take to the streets” to demand Moraes’ ouster.
“On September 7, Brazil will take to the streets of São Paulo to demand the removal of Alexandre de Moraes,” he said. wrote. “@elonmuskyou are invited.”
Musk retweeted Ferreira’s message.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Visit The Hill for breaking news, weather, sports and streaming video.
