Brazil's Supreme Court said it was lifting a ban on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Judge Alexandre de Moraes said he had allowed the “immediate return” of X's activities in the country after they paid high financial penalties and blocked accounts accused of spreading disinformation.
Elon Musk's social media platform has finally submitted to the ruling of the Brazilian court. A statement released by the court said X, formerly Twitter, paid penalties totaling 28 million reais ($5.1 million) and agreed to appoint a local representative as required by Brazilian law.
Moraes blocked access to the platform he owns Elon Muskafter refusing to block several profiles deemed by the government to spread disinformation about the presidential election in Brazil in 2022.
Anatel, Brazil's telecommunications regulator, has been ordered to ensure the resumption of services to more than 20 million users in the country within 24 hours.
Musk put up his gloves
As the BBC reminds, after months of defying court orders, Musk fired the company's Brazilian staff at the end of August and closed the X office in Brazil. “The decision to close X's offices in Brazil was difficult,” Musk wrote at the time.
This self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” described Judge Moraes' decision to block dozens of accounts as an abuse of power and a violation of free speech. Additionally, he insulted him in posts on his platform.
A few days later, Judge Moraes ordered the platform blocked nationwide. Many users have switched to alternative sites such as Bluesky, causing a surge in demand for VPNs (virtual proxy networks) in Brazil.
However, in September, Platform X began to follow the court's orders with a clear change in approach. On Tuesday, X said he was “proud to return to Brazil.”
“Ensuring tens of millions of Brazilians have access to our essential platform has been of the utmost importance throughout this process,” the X government affairs team said in a statement. X now appears to have complied with all of the judge's demands to have the ban lifted.
According to the BBC, Brazil is one of the largest markets for the X platform in the world, and also the largest in Latin America, with an estimated number of 22 million users.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/WILL OLIVER