The Supreme Court in Brazil confirmed the ban on social media X, formerly known as Twitter. This was reported by the BBC. The judges voted unanimously in favor of the measure.
Platform X was banned in the South American country after it failed to appoint a new legal representative before a court-ordered deadline. It's the latest development in the feud between Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraea and X owner Elon Musk, which began in April when the judge ordered the suspension of dozens of accounts for allegedly spreading misinformation.
Judge Moraes called on the five-member commission to rule on the suspension, which has caused division in Brazil. Judge Flavio Dino pointed out that freedom of expression is closely related to the obligation of responsibility.
Brazil's Supreme Court has given companies like Apple and Google five days to remove X from their app stores and block its use on iOS and Android devices. Individuals or businesses found to still be accessing X by using virtual private networks (VPNs) can be fined R$50,000.
In response to the court decision, Elon Musk said that freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.
X closed its Brazil office last month, saying its representative was threatened with arrest if it did not comply with court orders described by the company as "censorship".