X announces suspension of Brazil operations, alleging ‘censorship orders’ from Supreme Court justice
- In Reports
- 12:17 PM, Aug 19, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Saturday, social media platform X announced it would cease operations in Brazil, citing threats from Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to arrest its legal representative in the country if it did not comply with court orders.
X is dismissing all remaining staff in Brazil "effective immediately," although the company stated that the service will still be available to Brazilian users. The company did not explain how it intends to suspend operations while continuing to offer services to people in Brazil.
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday that it was a “difficult decision” to announce the shutdown of Brazil's X (formerly Twitter) office. In a post on the microblogging site, Musk wrote, “The decision to close the X office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed,” the former X CEO wrote.
Earlier this year, the company had a dispute with Justice de Moraes over issues related to free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation on X. The company described his recent directives as censorship and posted a copy of the order on its platform.
In the United States, free speech is a constitutional right with broader protections compared to many other countries, including Brazil. In April, Justice de Moraes initiated an investigation into CEO Elon Musk concerning the spread of defamatory fake news, and another inquiry into potential obstruction, incitement, and criminal organisation.
Critics in Brazil have accused de Moraes of overstepping his authority to suppress free speech and engage in political persecution. He has been active in targeting those he views as threats to Brazil’s democracy, including investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, banning his far-right allies from social media, and ordering the arrest of individuals involved in the attacks on government buildings on 8 January 2023.
“Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” the company said in a statement on X.
In a tweet Saturday morning, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” and owner of X, Musk, said de Moraes “is an utter disgrace to justice.”
Image source: Business Insider
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