X (formerly Twitter) has been banned in Brazil after failing to meet a deadline set by a Supreme Court judge to name a new legal representative in the country. Alexandre de Moraes ordered the "immediate and complete suspension" of the social media platform until it complies with all court orders and pays existing fines. Reacting to the decision, X owner Elon Musk said: "Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes."
The social media network is said to be used by only 10% of the nation's 200 million inhabitants. By Saturday morning some users had reported access to the platform was no longer possible.
The row began in April, with the judge ordering the suspension of dozens of X accounts for spreading disinformation. X then closed its office in Brazil three months later, after its representative had been threatened with arrest if she did not comply with legal orders. Justice Moraes had ordered that X accounts which spread disinformation (many supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro) must be blocked while they are under investigation. Moraes said the company's legal representatives would be held liable if any accounts were reactivated.
It is the latest in a series of rows involving the tech billionaire - who has clashed with the EU over the regulation of X and earlier this month became embroiled in a war of words with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The head of Brazil's telecommunications agency, which has been tasked with suspending the platform, said he is "proceeding with the compliance" to do so, according to Reuters news agency. Justice Moraes has given companies such as Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from its application stores and block its use on iOS and Android systems. People or businesses using means such as VPNs (virtual private network) to access the platform could be fined R$50,000 ($9K)
According to the judge's order, a ban will be in effect until X names a new legal representative in the country and pays fines for violating Brazilian law. In a previous post from one of its official accounts, X had said it would not comply with the demands. Meanwhile, the bank accounts of Musk's satellite internet firm Starlink have been frozen in Brazil following an earlier order by the country's Supreme Court.
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