By its own decision, the social network X — formerly known as Twitter — closed its offices in Brazil on Saturday (August 17). Despite this measure, the service of the social network is expected to remain available to Brazilians.
In a statement, the network refuses to block profiles and accounts following an investigation by the Federal Police regarding obstruction of investigations into a criminal organization and incitement to crime, in violation of an alleged decision by Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, which has not yet been confirmed by the court.
Minister Moraes also reportedly ordered the personal summons of X’s representative in Brazil. However, he was unable to locate those responsible for the social network.
Also in the alleged order, Minister Moraes is said to have stated that X’s representative in Brazil acted in bad faith, attempting to avoid being summoned. As the company’s representatives were not found, the minister reportedly ordered the arrest of X’s legal representative for non-compliance with the court order and imposed a daily fine of R$ 20,000 on the representative, according to the text released by X.
The company’s global affairs department stated that “to protect the safety of our team, we made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately. The X service remains available to the people of Brazil.” The social network added that its resources will not succeed in the Supreme Court, stating that Minister Moraes chose to “threaten our team.”
The owner of the social network, Elon Musk, commented: “The decision to close the X office in Brazil was difficult, but if we had agreed to the [illegal] demands of Minister Alexandre de Moraes for secret censorship and the handing over of private information, there would be no way to explain our actions without being ashamed.”
A global activist
It is not the first time billionaire Elon Musk has challenged the Brazilian judiciary. Analysts believe this may be a strategy of the global far-right to disrupt investigations into the attempted coup in Brazil on January 8, 2023.
The owner of the X platform and several other companies — from satellite manufacturing to electric car production — is known for his political activism in various countries, including Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, and the United States, where he openly campaigns for Donald Trump.
Musk has also been involved in the violence crisis in the United Kingdom, where extremist groups attacked immigrants on the streets. On the subject, Musk commented that a “civil war is inevitable” in the European country. X has also been accused of promoting anti-immigrant content.
Source: Agência Brasil