Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Feb. 21 ordered the suspension of the video-sharing platform Rumble in the country over the company’s failure to comply with court orders.
In his ruling, the justice said that Rumble has “repeatedly, consciously and willingly not complied, and is trying not to submit to Brazil’s legal order and judiciary.”
De Moraes said the U.S.-based company had ignored orders to name a legal representative in Brazil. Foreign companies operating in Brazil must have a local representative to address legal matters within the jurisdiction.
“There’s no evidence of the regularity of Rumble Inc’s representation in Brazilian territory,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
De Moraes said Rumble also ignored orders to remove the account of Allan dos Santos, a Brazilian fugitive accused of spreading fake news. Santos is a staunch supporter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Rumble spokesman Tim Murtaugh told The Epoch Times via email that as of Friday, Brazilian authorities have blocked access to the U.S.-based video-sharing platform in the South American country following the judge’s order.
Murtaugh said the suspension order was issued due to Rumble’s refusal “to censor political dissidents residing in the United States,” adding that the company is exploring “all available legal avenues” to fight the order.
“Justice de Moraes demanded that Rumble remove specific content and halt financial transactions related to individuals exercising their free speech rights under U.S. law,” Rumble said in a statement.
“Our commitment to free expression and adherence to U.S. legal standards compelled us to reject these extraterritorial censorship demands.”
Rumble’s U.S. attorneys, Martin De Luca and Matthew Schwartz, said the order disrupted the operations of Rumble and the Truth Social platform—which relies on Rumble’s cloud-based hosting and video streaming infrastructure to provide multimedia content—in Brazil.
In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, the attorneys said that de Moraes’s action amounts to “a judicial overreach” as he attempted to censor the content of a U.S.-based company.
“Rumble is an American company that operates under U.S. law,” they said. “The idea that a foreign judge can dictate what content an American platform must remove, and who can receive payments within the U.S., is a direct challenge to the digital sovereignty of the United States.”
Last year, de Moraes banned tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X social media platform in Brazil for refusing to name a legal representative. The justice ruled that X, formerly known as Twitter, would remain suspended until it complies with his orders. He also set a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using virtual private networks to access it.
In their lawsuit, the companies said the judge’s order requires Rumble to name a legal representative in Brazil “solely for the purpose of accepting service of the Gag Orders and submitting to Justice Moraes’s authority.”
Rumble faces a daily fine of $9,000, according to the lawsuit, and a shutdown of its service in Brazil if it refuses to abide by the orders.
