Published: 10:47, August 29, 2024
Brazil's top court threatens to suspend X in country by Thursday night
By Reuters
A partially completed "X" sign rests atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

BRASILIA - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday to name a legal representative for his messaging platform X in Brazil within 24 hours or face the site's suspension in the country, a court decision showed.

ALSO READ: Brazil judge opens inquiry to Musk after refusal to block accounts on X

Earlier this month, X announced it would close its operations and fire its staff in Brazil due to what it called "censorship orders" from Moraes, while adding the firm's service would remain available for users in Brazil.

The Supreme Court posted a screenshot of Wednesday's court decision on its X account, tagging Musk's and X's Global Government Affairs accounts.

READ MORE: Musk’s X accuses advertisers of boycotting platform in new lawsuit

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside normal working hours.

In the decision, Moraes says that under the country's law regulating internet issues, companies that do not respect Brazilian legislation or the confidentiality of private information could have their activities temporarily suspended.