Brazil’s Supreme Court Demands Elon Musk Appoint Legal Representative for X

Brazil’s Supreme Court Issues Ultimatum to Elon Musk Over X’s Operations

On Wednesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court delivered a significant ultimatum to Elon Musk, demanding that he appoint a legal representative for his social media platform, X, within 24 hours. Failure to comply with this directive could result in the suspension of X across Brazil, a nation with a population of approximately 200 million.

Recently, Musk made headlines by closing X’s office in Brazil, citing his discontent with orders issued by a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, which called for the suspension of specific accounts on the platform. Should X refuse to adhere to the court’s orders, it risks losing access to one of its most substantial markets outside the United States—a considerable setback for a company grappling with revenue recovery after Musk’s contentious interactions with advertisers, during which he advised them to limit their spending on the platform.

The Supreme Court posted its order on X on Wednesday evening, indicating that Musk has until around 8 p.m. local time on Thursday to respond. This situation represents one of the most significant challenges Musk has faced in his endeavor to reshape X according to his personal beliefs, and his forthcoming actions will provide insight into the lengths he is willing to go to uphold his commitment to what he describes as protecting the platform from censorship.

As of now, both X and Musk have not provided any comments regarding the potential ban. Musk has found himself in a prolonged conflict with Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court, whom he has accused of imposing censorship on conservative voices online. Justice Moraes has mandated the suspension of over 100 accounts on X, asserting that these actions are part of a broader initiative to combat misinformation, hate speech, and threats to democracy.

Notably, the majority of the accounts targeted by Justice Moraes belong to supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president. Many of these accounts have raised questions about Bolsonaro’s 2022 electoral defeat and have shown sympathy for protesters who stormed Brazil’s government buildings, expressing hopes for a military intervention.