X Is Closing Operations In Brazil Due To ‘censorship Orders’

Users in the country can still access and post to the platform.

X will close its offices in Brazil. Credit: Photo Illustration by Jaque Silva/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The biggest matchup of the day is between X and Brazil.

X, formerly known as Twitter, said on Saturday that it’s closing its operations in Brazil “immediately” due to “censorship orders” from Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes. According to a document that, X says, are “censorship orders,” de Moraes secretly threatened X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao with arrest if it did not agree to take down some content on the site.

“Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions,” X said in a statement posted to the site. “Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, de Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process.”

X decided to close its operations in Brazil, but the social media site will still remain available to people in the country. Mashable has not verified the validity of the document that X shared, and Brazil’s Supreme Court refused to confirm nor deny the authenticity to Reuters.

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“We are deeply saddened that we have been forced to make this decision. The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes,” the post continued. “His actions are incompatible with democratic government. The people of Brazil have a choice to make – democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes.”

Tweet may have been deleted Along with the statement, X posted photos of a document allegedly sent by de Moraes to X that states that if X doesn’t comply with de Moraes’ orders, it will face a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653). Moreover, X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao could face arrest, according to the document.

This fight — particularly between X owner Elon Musk and de Moraes — is not new. According to Engadget, Musk said in April that he would not comply with Brazilian orders to block certain accounts, which resulted in de Moraes to open an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. X changed its take and later said it would comply with Brazil’s orders.

This comes as the U.S. House Judiciary Committee claimed Brazil is attempting to force X to censor hundreds of accounts, including the accounts of former Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, current Brazilian Senator Marcos do Val, and Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo Filho.

Christianna Silva is a Senior Culture Reporter at Mashable. They write about tech and digital culture, with a focus on Facebook and Instagram. Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow them on Twitter @christianna_j.

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