Platform X ends activities in Brazil, shuts down its operations there

Social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will end its business activities in Brazil and shut down its operations. The service will remain available to users in the South American country, AFP and Reuters reported on Saturday.

The move is the culmination of a dispute between the U.S. company led by Elon Musk and Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraes, who said he was trying to combat the spread of dangerous misinformation.

In a statement on Saturday, Company X said Morais had threatened to arrest his legal representatives in Brazil if certain content was not removed from the platform. She also published a document in which Morais was threatened with a fine in addition to arrest.

She further stated that the branch closures were necessary “to protect the safety of our employees.”

Earlier this year, Moraes ordered the blocking of multiple accounts that spread hate and misinformation during the tenure of right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro. However, Musk announced he would unblock those accounts. On Saturday, he called Moraes “an absolute disgrace to the justice system.”

Morais is also the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which last year declared Bolsonaro ineligible to run for president again because he spread false information about the electoral system.

In April, Moraes ordered an investigation into Musk, accusing him of using the platform for criminal purposes. Musk responded by saying that while Platform X might lose revenue in Brazil, “principles are more important than profits.”