Elon Musk’s ‘X’ was banned in Brazil on August 30 by the apex court due to non-compliance of the court orders.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the platform to continue its services, overcoming the month-long dispute over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.
“The resumption of X’s activities on national territory was conditioned, solely, on full compliance with Brazilian laws and absolute observance of the judiciary’s decisions, out of respect for national sovereignty,” de Moraes said in the court document.
The court ordered on Tuesday (October 8) ruling, the country’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, to restore X’s online services within 24 hours.
Despite accusations and calling the Brazilian judge “an evil dictator,” X ultimately complied with all of de Moraes’ demands.
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The platform was required to block certain accounts, settle fines amounting to 28 million reais ($5.1 million), and designate a legal representative in the country, which was the initial reason for the suspension.Brazil’s communication minister, Juscelino Filho, hailed X’s decision to comply with court orders as a major win for the country.
“This is a victory for our nation,” he stated, emphasising that Brazil’s laws must be respected by everyone, regardless of status or power.
Following the court verdict, the company posted on its Global Government Affairs account. “X is proud to return to Brazil.”
“Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process. We will continue to defend freedom of speech within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate,” it said.
On August 28, just two days before the ban, X announced it was immediately removing all remaining staff in Brazil as de Moraes had threatened to arrest X’s local legal representative if the platform didn’t comply with orders to block specific accounts.
Under Brazilian law, foreign companies must have a representative to receive court notifications and take swift action, particularly account takedowns.
Since Musk took control of Twitter two years ago in a $44-billion deal, as ET reported. He has always promoted ‘free speech’ and imposed fewer restrictions on the platform.
