NEW DELHI: Elon Musk has announced the closure of X’s (formerly Twitter) office in Brazil, citing the move as a “difficult decision” influenced by ongoing legal tensions with the Brazilian Supreme Court.
In a post on X, Musk explained that the decision was prompted by demands from Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, which included alleged illegal censorship and the handover of private information.
Musk stated, “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 shame.”
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2024
On the same day, the social media platform announced that it would cease its operations in Brazil. It cited threats from Justice de Moraes to arrest the company’s legal representative if X did not comply with the court’s orders. The company added that while all remaining staff would be withdrawn from Brazil “effective immediately,” the service would remain accessible to users in the country. However, X did not clarify how it plans to maintain services while halting its operations.
Earlier this year, X had clashed with Justice de Moraes over issues related to free speech, handling far-right accounts, and spreading misinformation on the platform. The company described the Justice’s recent orders as censorship and publicly shared the directives on X.
Due to demands by “Justice” @Alexandre in Brazil that would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law, 𝕏 has no choice but to close our local operations in Brazil.
He is an utter disgrace to justice. https://t.co/yAvX1TpuRp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2024
In the United States, free speech is protected as a constitutional right, with broader freedoms compared to many other countries, including Brazil. In April, Justice de Moraes launched investigations into Elon Musk, probing the spread of defamatory fake news and potential involvement in obstruction, incitement, and criminal organization.
Political rights groups in Brazil have often accused de Moraes of overstepping his authority, suppressing free speech, and engaging in political persecution. De Moraes has been particularly active in investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, restricting his far-right allies on social media, and ordering the arrest of individuals involved in the January 8, 2023, attacks on government buildings.
In response to the ongoing legal challenges, X released a statement on its platform, accusing de Moraes of threatening its staff rather than upholding the law or due process. Elon Musk further criticized the Justice, calling him “an utter disgrace to justice.”