A judge from the Supreme Court of Brazil today ordered the social network "X" to be blocked in Brazil after the owner of the network Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, the Associated Press reported, cited by BTA, citing a copy of the decision of the Brazilian judge.
The court decision is another episode in the months-long clash between Judge Alessandri di Moraes and Elon Musk over free speech, far-right sympathizer profiles and disinformation.
Judge Di Moraes warned Musk on Wednesday night that the "X" could be blocked in Brazil if it fails to comply with the order to appoint a representative. For this purpose of "X" a deadline of 24 hours was given. The company has not had a representative in Brazil since earlier this month, AP noted. Di Moraes said that "X" will remain blocked until it executes the order.
Brazil is an important market for X, which has struggled after losing ad revenue since Musk bought the former Twitter in 2022, AP points out.
According to the market research company "Emarketer" (Emarketer) about 40 million Brazilians, about a fifth of Brazil's population, enter the "X" at least once a month.