X says it is closing operations in Brazil immediately following ‘censorship orders’ by judge

Social media platform X announced on Saturday that it will cease operations in Brazil “effective immediately” due to what it called “censorship orders” issued by Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes, reports Reuters.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, alleges that Moraes secretly threatened one of its legal representatives in Brazil with arrest if the company did not comply with orders to remove certain content from its platform. The company published what it claimed was a document signed by Moraes, stating that a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and an arrest decree would be imposed on X representative Rachel Nova Conceicao if the platform failed to fully comply with Moraes’ directives.