Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, within the country on Friday, according to a report from BBC.
Issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the ruling mandates the platform’s ban until it complies with all pending court orders and settles existing fines.
The legal battle between X and Brazil’s judiciary has been ongoing for months. Justice Moraes had earlier given the platform a 24-hour ultimatum to appoint a new legal representative or face suspension.
With the deadline passing on Thursday evening, the platform is expected to shutdown in Brazil within the next 24 hours.
Justice Moraes has also ordered tech giants like Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores within five days. In addition, Brazilian media reports that attempting to bypass the ban using VPN services is punishable by fines of up to USD 10,000.
X had anticipated this outcome, issuing a statement on Thursday that acknowledged the likelihood of being blocked in Brazil. The platform recently closed its office in the country, citing threats of arrest against its representative if she failed to comply with what the company has labeled as “censorship.”
The feud between X and Brazilian courts started in April when Justice Moraes ordered the suspension of numerous X accounts, accusing them of disseminating disinformation.
In response, X CEO labeled the judge a “tyrant” and a “dictator” while threatening to reactivate the suspended accounts.