Elon Musk's X braces for shutdown in Brazil as spat with judge intensifies
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00:00A legal showdown is underway in Brazil, which could see the social media platform X blocked
00:05within hours.
00:07Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes has threatened the company with suspension after
00:12it failed to meet a 24-hour deadline to name a legal representative, a legal requirement
00:17in Brazil for foreign companies.
00:20The court then froze the finances of Starlink, the internet service provider for SpaceX,
00:25under billionaire tycoon and ex-owner Elon Musk, and prevented it from conducting financial
00:30operations, an order they immediately called unconstitutional.
00:36The judge's ruling is part of a months-long feud between Musk and Judge Moraes.
00:40Earlier this month, Musk closed X's office in Brazil after he was ordered to suspend
00:45accounts accused of spreading lies and distortions or face arrest of its legal representative
00:51in the country.
00:53Videos he denounced as censorship of conservative voices.
00:57Musk is referred to Judge Moraes' actions as criminal, but this expert notes he has
01:01legal grounds.
01:03When Elon Musk closes his office saying he won't comply with court rulings, the judiciary
01:10reacts.
01:11This is normal.
01:13It would happen to any company.
01:15It's not against Elon Musk.
01:17It's against any company, especially big tech, which sometimes feels very comfortable disrespecting
01:22court rulings.
01:26The suspension of X in the country would have serious implications for Musk's ambitions
01:31of making the platform what he calls a global town square of free-flowing information.
01:36Brazil is a key market for X, with an estimated 40 million Brazilians accessing the site at
01:42least once a month.