X Names Brazil Legal Representative as It Fights Ban in the Country

A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
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X Names Brazil Legal Representative as It Fights Ban in the Country

A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)

Elon Musk-owned social media platform X has named a legal representative in Brazil, the firm's lawyers said on Friday, in a move that would address one of the demands imposed by Brazil's top court to allow the company to operate in the country.

Andre Zonaro and Sergio Rosenthal, who were recently appointed as X's lawyers in Brazil, told Reuters that colleague Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao was chosen as the firm's legal representative, and that they had submitted her name to the Supreme Court.

Brazilian law requires foreign companies to name a legal representative to operate in the country. The representative would assume the legal responsibilities for the firm locally.

X had a legal representative in Brazil until mid-August, when it decided to close its offices in the country.

In late August, Brazil's top court ordered mobile and internet service providers to block X in the nation, and users were cut off within hours after X did not name a new legal representative.

The move followed a months-long dispute between Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes over the firm's non-compliance with court orders demanding the platform take action against the spread of hate speech.

Courts have previously blocked accounts implicated in probes of spreading misinformation and hate, which Musk has denounced as censorship.

On Thursday, the lawyers representing X in Brazil said the firm was starting to comply with orders on removing content, another demand from the top court.



Google Tests Verified Check Marks in Search Results

A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
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Google Tests Verified Check Marks in Search Results

A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)

Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.

Fraudulent websites impersonating official businesses or services could creep up in online search results, leading users to view false information about the business, deceiving users and potentially harming the brand.

"We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we are currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google," the spokesperson said.

Google already uses automated systems to identify pages with "scammy" or fraudulent content and prevent them from showing up in the search results.

The Verge reported the development earlier on Friday, adding that it spotted blue verified checkmarks next to official site links for companies including Microsoft, Meta and Apple on search results.

Only some users were able to see the feature, the Verge said, indicating Google has not rolled out the test widely yet.