Elon Musk’s X shuts Brazil office over misinformation probe

Elon Musk’s X will cease operations in Brazil over an investigation by one of the country’s Supreme Court justices. The social media platform will continue to be available for Brazilians to use, however.

The decision comes after Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered a probe in April into Musk on various allegations, including obstruction of justice and sharing defamatory disinformation, which is illegal in Brazil. Musk, in turn, had criticized the judge for ordering X to block certain accounts under investigation, many of which are linked to former Brazilian president Jair Bolsanaro — a move Musk described as “censorship.” The fight, The Washington Post wrote, is seen by some as “the latest test in the global debate of free speech vs. fake news.”