A Brazilian court has ordered the complete suspension of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, in the country, effective immediately. The decision follows the platform’s failure to comply with a deadline to appoint a legal representative based in Brazil, amid widespread accusations that X is facilitating the spread of false information in the country.
The court has also decreed that Brazilians who attempt to access the platform using VPNs could face fines of up to $8,800, approximately KSh 1.1 million.
The dispute between X and Brazilian authorities began in April 2024, when a court ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of disseminating disinformation.
In response to the ruling, X owner Elon Musk criticized the decision, stating, “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”
