Brazil’s Supreme Court Issues Ultimatum to Elon Musk Over X Operations

Brazil’s Supreme Court has given Elon Musk 24 hours to appoint a legal representative for his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), or face a nationwide ban of the service that serves 200 million citizens, The New York Times reports.

This ultimatum follows Musk’s recent decision to close X’s office in Brazil in protest against legal orders from a Brazilian Supreme Court justice aimed at suspending certain user accounts.

The court’s announcement was made on X late Wednesday, indicating that Musk must respond by approximately 8 p.m. local time on Thursday. This situation marks one of the most critical challenges to Musk’s vision for X, as his response will reveal the extent to which he is willing to uphold his commitment to preventing what he perceives as censorship on his platform.

Musk’s ongoing disputes with Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, highlight a broader struggle over online content regulation. De Moraes has ordered the suspension of over 100 X accounts, primarily those linked to right-wing supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. These accounts have been accused of spreading misinformation and inciting unrest related to Bolsonaro’s 2022 election defeat.

The tensions between Musk and De Moraes escalated when Musk accused the justice of censoring conservative viewpoints, while De Moraes has countered by stating that Musk is now under investigation by Brazilian federal authorities for “fake news” dissemination.

Under Brazilian law, tech companies are required to have a local legal representative to operate in the country. Justice Moraes’ past actions, such as the temporary bans imposed on messaging services like Telegram and WhatsApp for failing to comply with court orders, underscore the seriousness of this ultimatum. When Telegram initially did not respond to court directives, the service faced a ban, but the threat subsided following their prompt compliance.

Since acquiring X in 2022, Musk has made it clear that his intention is to transform the platform into a space for unrestricted dialogue, emphasizing minimal content removals unless legally mandated. He has pushed back against various content removal requests in both Brazil and Australia, further complicating relations with regulatory bodies.

X has faced bans in other countries as well, including a notable instance in Nigeria in June 2021, where the platform was blocked after removing posts from then-President Muhammadu Buhari. Access to X was restored after the company agreed to establish a local entity in Nigeria. Similarly, India has demanded that X create a local presence to comply with legal requests, threatening severe repercussions for non-compliance.

As the deadline approaches, all eyes are on Elon Musk to see how he navigates this significant test that could impact X’s viability in one of its largest international markets.