X shutdown: What's behind Elon Musk's feud with Brazil's SC judge?

BRASILIA: In a worrying development for X users in Brazil, the country's telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was suspending access to Elon Musk's social media platform to comply with an order from a judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.

The development came after Musk's X missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

Brazilian Supreme Court's Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Musk have been in a public feud for months, after X failed to comply with legal orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading "fake news" and hate messages.

X claimed Moraes threatened to arrest one of the company's legal representatives in Brazil if it did not comply. Musk's platform had shut all of its Brazil offices due to what it called "censorship" by the judge, though its service had remained available for users in the country.

When will it take effect?

Moraes ordered the social media giant to be taken down immediately in Brazil. Shutting down the messaging platform could take hours or days as Anatel has to communicate with telecommunications carriers to drop X traffic.

The SC judge also froze the financial assets of Musk's Starlink by issuing an order to block the accounts of the satellite internet network that has rapidly expanded the number of its users in Brazil.

Moraes's motive was to cover unpaid fines amounting to R$18.5 million reais ($3.28 million) he had previously slapped on X for ignoring judicial orders. Responding to a post that mentioned reports that Starlink accounts had been blocked, Musk called Moraes a "dictator" on X.

How will X be shutdown?

Under Brazilian laws governing the internet, social media must have a representative based in the country. The judge said companies that breach Brazilian law can have their activities temporarily suspended. Regulator Anatel has begun to notify carriers to ensure they drop X. Users could still dodge the blockage by using VPNs.

But to avoid that loophole, Moraes said that individuals or companies who tried to keep access to the social network that way could be fined up to R$50,000 ($8,909) a day.