X banned in Brazil following SC order; Musk responds, 'They're shutting down #1 source of truth'

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been banned in Brazil after failing to meet a deadline set by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The judge ordered the "immediate and complete suspension" of the platform until it complies with court orders and pays outstanding fines.

The controversy began in April when Justice de Moraes mandated the suspension of several X accounts accused of disseminating disinformation. In response to the ruling, X's owner, Elon Musk, criticised the decision, stating, "Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes."

As the deadline for compliance with the court's amendments passed, Brazil's telecommunications agency confirmed it is proceeding with the suspension of X, which is expected to be unavailable in the country within the next 24 hours.

Justice de Moraes has also instructed major companies like Apple and Google to remove X from their application stores and block its use on iOS and Android systems within five days. Users attempting to access the platform through VPNs could face fines of R$50,000 (approximately £6,700).

The ban will remain in effect until X appoints a new legal representative in Brazil and settles fines for violating local laws. Previously, X had indicated it would not comply with the judge's demands, asserting that it would not break Brazilian laws.

Justice de Moraes's ruling specifically targeted accounts linked to supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, ordering their suspension during ongoing investigations. He emphasised that the company's legal representatives would be held accountable if any of these accounts were reactivated.

In a related matter, the bank accounts of Musk's satellite internet company, Starlink, have been frozen in Brazil following a separate Supreme Court order. Starlink responded by claiming the order was based on an unfounded determination that it should be liable for fines against X. Musk clarified that "SpaceX and X are two completely different companies with different shareholders."

X is not the first social media platform to face scrutiny in Brazil. Earlier, Telegram was temporarily banned last year for failing to comply with requests to block certain profiles, while Meta's WhatsApp faced similar bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to provide user data to law enforcement.