According to Cointelegraph, a Brazilian Supreme Court panel has upheld a decision to suspend operations of the social media platform X in the country. On September 2, a panel of five Supreme Court justices unanimously supported Justice Alexandre de Moraes' August 30 ruling to suspend X in Brazil. This decision came after X owner Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal representative for the firm's operations in Brazil.
In the months leading up to Moraes' decision, Musk had heavily criticized the Supreme Court judge on X, labeling him as 'evil' and a 'dictator' for what Musk described as 'illegal political censorship' of the social media platform. It remains uncertain how Musk will respond now that four other justices have agreed with Moraes' ruling.
Moraes had been investigating X for allegedly allowing and promoting misinformation related to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Since Musk's acquisition of the company, then known as Twitter, in October 2022, several companies have withdrawn their advertising due to reports of pro-Nazi content appearing alongside their ads.
As per Moraes' decision, X will remain suspended in Brazil until the company pays outstanding fines totaling more than $3 million as of August 30. Brazilian residents and companies using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the site could also face fines of up to 50,000 reais, approximately $8,900.
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.