X will resume operations in Brazil following Elon Musk’s withdrawal from legal dispute
Brazil’s Supreme Court has decided that X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, can return to service, as Musk chose to step back from a confrontation with the country’s legal authorities regarding misinformation issues.
“X is excited to be back in Brazil,” the platform announced in a statement from its global government affairs division. “We remain committed to defending freedom of expression, within the frameworks of the law, wherever we are present.”
This decision marks another chapter in the ongoing disagreement between Musk and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom Musk labeled as an “evil dictator pretending to be a judge.”
The CEO, renowned in conservative circles for advocating free speech, referred to the ban as “censorship.”
Previously, X became inactive across Brazil after Moraes ruled on August 30 that the platform would face suspension for not settling a $3.28 million fine and for failing to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
Users accessing X could potentially incur fines of up to $8,900 per day, and the court had also frozen Starlink’s bank accounts in Brazil to secure the payment of fines.
Following the initial suspension, Brazilians had limited access to X when Musk attempted to bypass the ban using third-party cloud services; however, this access was revoked again after Moraes warned of severe fines against the company.
Earlier, the judge had ordered X to deactivate multiple accounts accused of spreading disinformation and hate speech, most of which were associated with extremist backers of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
Initially, the company resisted but later claimed in September that it had blocked nine of the accounts in question and had appointed a legal representative based in Brazil.
Moraes instructed Anatel, Brazil’s telecommunications authority, to assist in bringing X back online within 24 hours; however, as of Wednesday evening, the service was still unavailable.
Brazil’s communication minister, Juscelino Filho, hailed the company’s compliance as a “victory for the nation,” stating, “We demonstrated to the world that in our country, laws must be respected, regardless of who you are.”
With 21.5 million users, Brazil ranked as the sixth-largest market for X.