Brazil’s Supreme Court has given Elon Musk 24 hours to name a legal representative for X in Brazil or face a nationwide ban, the “New York Times” said.
This comes after Musk closed X’s office in Brazil last week in protest of a court order to suspend certain accounts.
If Musk does not comply, X risks losing access to one of its largest markets outside the US, a significant blow as the platform is already struggling to regain revenue.
The court posted its order on X on Wednesday night, giving Musk until about 8 p.m. local time on Thursday to respond, Musk has yet to respond.
This marks a critical test for Musk’s commitment to protecting X from what he calls “censorship.”
Musk has been engaged in a feud with Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court Minister who ordered the suspension of over 100 X accounts linked to misinformation and hate speech.
Many of these accounts belong to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Musk has openly supported.
Musk has criticized Minister Moraes, calling him a dictator and accusing him of violating Brazilian laws.
Moraes responded by stating that Brazilian law requires tech companies to have a legal representative in the country.
Musk’s purchase of X in 2022 came with a pledge to make it a platform for free and open communication.
His resistance to content removal orders has led to legal challenges in Brazil and other countries. This situation echoes similar incidents, such as Nigeria’s temporary ban of X in 2021 and India’s demands for a local presence.
In a related development, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was detained under a search warrant in France, accused of allowing his platform to facilitate illegal activities. Musk has called for Durov’s release, arguing that the arrest suppresses free speech and not giving data access to governments.