Brazil judge orders suspension of X amid standoff with Musk

Brazil’s top judge ordered the suspension of X in the country Friday, after owner Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal representative for the social media platform in the country, multiple outlets reported.Why it matters: The move effectively bans X in Latin America’s largest nation, and fuels a standoff between Musk’s social media platform and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.”Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” Musk said on X Friday.Representatives for X did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.Zoom in: Musk’s Starlink said on X Thursday that Moraes issued an order that “freezes” the internet satellite business’ finances in the country and prevents it from conducting financial transactions in Brazil.Moraes issued a summons on Wednesday alerting Musk that X needed to comply with his order to name a legal representative for the platform in Brazil within 24 hours or he’d have the site suspended in the country.The company said Thursday that it views the judge’s demands as illegal and will publish all related court filings in coming days.”Unlike other social media and technology platforms…  » …