Brazil's highest court mandates a countrywide suspension of Elon Musk's X
Brasilia [Brazil], August 31: Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil's Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal or STF) has ordered an immediate and nationwide suspension of X, previously known as Twitter.
On August 29, Moraes had demanded that Elon Musk appoint a legal representative for X in Brazil within 24 hours, warning that failure to do so would lead to a suspension of the platform's operations across the country.
The STF issued a statement saying, "STF requires Elon Musk and X to designate a legal representative within 24 hours, or face a suspension of their activities in Brazil."
The court had previously cautioned that non-compliance would result in the suspension of the social network's activities in Brazil. The suspension will remain in effect until the court's orders are followed and any fines are paid. It will also continue until a company representative is appointed in Brazil.
According to the ruling in Petition (PET) 12404, Carlos Manuel Baigorri, president of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), is responsible for ensuring the suspension is enforced. Additionally, Apple and Google have been instructed to block the application on iOS and Android systems and to remove it from their app stores.
Justice Moraes noted that the STF had made extensive efforts to give X Brasil opportunities to comply with court orders and settle fines to avoid such drastic measures. However, due to repeated non-compliance and attempts to evade responsibility, the court decided to proceed with this suspension.
A daily fine of BRL 50,000 will be imposed on individuals and companies that use "technological subterfuges" to continue using X, in addition to other potential civil and criminal penalties.