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, we will not comply in secret with illegal orders," the company said in a statement.

Go deeper: Musk slams Brazil judge over Starlink frozen accounts, X shutdown threat