Rumble faces potential suspension in Brazil

BRASILIA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. video-sharing platform Rumble RUM.O might have its operations in Brazil suspended if does not name a legal representative in the country, a Supreme Court order showed, in a similar path to the one faced by Elon Musk's X last year.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes in a February 19 decision made public on Thursday ordered Rumble to appoint legal representation within 48 hours under risk of immediate suspension, the document showed.

The ruling comes as Rumble and U.S. President Donald Trump's Trump Media & Technology Group DJT.O earlier this week sued Moraes in Florida over accusations of illegal censorship, saying his orders "censor legitimate political discourse in the U.S."

In his latest ruling, Moraes said he ordered Rumble on February 9 to block the account of Allan dos Santos, a digital influencer close to former President Jair Bolsonaro who faces lawsuits in Brazil, and suspend the monetization of his profile.

Brazilian courts notified a lawyer at Moraes' request, but the law firm later clarified it did not represent Rumble in the country. Brazilian law requires foreign companies to have a legal representative to operate there.

Musk's X was temporarily suspended in Brazil last year after failing to name a local legal representative. Moraes was locked in a months-long feud with Musk, who called the justice a "dictator", but X ultimately complied with court rulings.

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski referred to Moraes' rulings in a post on X on Thursday, saying the platform "received illegal and secret order from last night which demands us to comply by tomorrow night."

"You have no authority on Rumble here in the USA, unless you go through the U.S. government. I'll repeat - see you in court," Pavlovski told the justice.

Rumble in 2023 disabled access for users in Brazil citing court orders to "remove certain creators," but went back online this year saying Brazil had moved "to rescind their censorship order" after Trump's election win.

In recent years, Moraes has issued many rulings blocking social media accounts. He is now also weighing charges brought earlier this week alleging former President Bolsonaro led a plot to overthrow Brazil's government and undermine the country's democracy after his 2022 election loss.

Moraes in January said tech firms must comply with local laws to keep operating in Brazil, adding the top court would not allow them to exploit the use of hate speech for profit.