Brazilian High Court Judge Warns of Potential Internet Service X Inhibition
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, has cautioned that he may interfere with internet service provider X if Elon Musk, its proprietor, fails to designate a fresh legal representative for the company within Brazil promptly. In a ruling made public on Wednesday (local time), Moraes issued a warning to Musk, giving him 24 hours to propose an appropriate candidate - otherwise, X's operations in Brazil would be "immediately halted".
This incident stems from a prolonged conflict between the judge and the affluent tech magnate and X's owner. Initiated by Moraes in April, investigations implicated Musk in the reactivation of unlawful accounts. Musk countered by accusing the judge of infringing on freedom of speech and evoking censorship. He expressed fears that X's legal representative in Brazil could be detained.
Responding to these allegations, Musk decided to close X's legal representation in Brazil, ensuring the security of its workers. This happened in mid-August. Despite the shutdown of its representation, Brazilian users could still utilize the platform. In response to Moraes' latest order, Musk commented on his platform, asserting that this judge had persistently disregarded laws he was assigned to uphold.
Moraes presides over the Brazilian Supreme Court and also heads the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) of the nation. In his crusade against misinformation, he has ordered the blocking of influential personalities' accounts on various online networks in recent years. However, he claimed, Musk partially managed to reverse these measures.
The Court of Justice, where Moraes serves as a justice, has the power to intervene in X's internet services if Musk fails to provide a new legal representative in Brazil as instructed. Moraes, additionally, serves as the president of the Supreme Electoral Court of Brazil and has been known for ordering the blocking of misleading accounts on various online platforms.
