Social Network X, Formerly Twitter, Closes Its Workshop in Brazil

X closes its operations in Brazil effective immediately. Elon Musk, X owner in fron of the Brazilian flag. Reference image. Photo: X/ @athanassi2

August 17, 2024 Hour: 1:13 pm

The social network X, formerly Twitter, announced on Saturday that it is closing its office in Brazil after accusing Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes of “threatening” to jail his legal representatives if they do not comply with judicial rulings.

According to X, Moraes secretly threatened to arrest one of the company’s representatives in Brazil, Raquel de Oliveira Villa Nova Conceicao, in the event that the platform has not complied with the order to remove some profiles and content responsible for the dissemination of false information.

The company, owned by tycoon Elon Musk said that De Moraes’ actions “are incompatible with a democratic government,” said the platform, which published part of a court ruling issued on Friday in which it again ordered X to remove several profiles.

Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.

Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard,… pic.twitter.com/Pm2ovyydhE
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024

In the document, the magistrate states that the company did not comply with previously issued orders and insists that, if they do not comply, their representative in Brazil will face a daily fine of R 20,000 (about $3,600) and imprisonment for disobedience.

It is presumed that many of the profiles that the judge ordered to close the social network had a direct connection with the attack on supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro at the institutional headquarters in Brasilia, which occurred earlier last year.

In addition, the magistrate leads another investigation against the former ultra-rightist president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) for his alleged involvement in an attempted coup after losing the elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.