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Elon Musk\u2019s X<\/a> is closing its operations in Brazil while keeping the service available in the country, according to posts Saturday from the social-media platform<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The announcement marks the latest step in a showdown between the world\u2019s richest man and Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is spearheading efforts to combat fake news and hate speech in Latin America\u2019s largest economy.<\/p>\n \u201cMoraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders,\u201d X\u2019s Global Government Affairs department said in an online post. \u201cHe did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Brazil\u2019s Federal Supreme Court declined to comment. X replied to questions from Bloomberg with an automated response. Musk\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0the decision to close the office \u201cdifficult,\u201d in a separate post.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how big X\u2019s operation is in Brazil. The platform had about 20 million active users in the country as of the first quarter, according to data firm Sensor Tower, down about 15% from the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s highest court has ordered the suspension of social media accounts from prominent users, forced the removal of posts and cautioned it would temporarily shut entire platforms. Musk\u00a0threatened to disrespect<\/a>\u00a0the court\u2019s orders, prompting it to open an\u00a0investigation<\/a>\u00a0on him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n