Brazil’s Supreme Court issued a full ban on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Elon Musk failed to appoint a legal representative in the country, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Although many Brazilians are likely to use VPNs to circumvent the ban, the Court has declared it will enforce fines of up to $8,874 per day for users caught accessing the platform.
This decision escalates the ongoing conflict between Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, centered around free speech, far-right accounts, and the spread of misinformation.
On Wednesday night, Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned Elon Musk that X would be blocked in Brazil if the company did not appoint a legal representative within 24 hours.
X has been without one since earlier this month, and De Moraes confirmed the platform will remain blocked until the issue is resolved.
Approximately 40 million Brazilians, or 20% of the population, use X monthly, according to market research by Emarketer.
The platform, under Musk’s ownership, anticipated the shutdown, citing its refusal to follow what it described as “illegal orders” to censor political opponents.
Justice Moraes has also given Apple and Google five days to remove X from their app stores, with the ban set to remain in place until X appoints a new legal representative and pays fines for violating Brazilian law.