Nandini Roy Choudhury, writer
- X is resuming operations in Brazil after a lengthy dispute with Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who initially suspended the platform for non-compliance with local laws.
- The Brazilian court confirmed X met the necessary conditions to operate, emphasizing the importance of free speech while adhering to regulations.
- During the suspension, competitors gained traction, but users are now regaining access to X following the court’s decision.
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Elon Musk’s X is resuming operations in Brazil following a protracted dispute between the company and the federal supreme court minister, Alexandre de Moraes, that lasted for several months.
A post on X from its global government affairs account stated, “X is proud to return to Brazil.” Throughout the duration of this process, it was of the utmost importance to grant tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform. We will persist in our efforts to safeguard the right to free speech in all of our operations, as long as it is consistent with the law.
On August 31, X was suspended in Brazil following an order from de Moraes that was subsequently upheld by a tribunal of other justices.
On Tuesday, the Supremo Tribuno Federal, Brazil’s highest court, issued a statement stating that the company had met the conditions set forth by the rapporteur, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, and that the platform could be re-used by Brazilians.
The suspension was implemented as a result of Musk’s refusal to comply with the demands of Brazil’s court to either suspend certain user accounts or remove content that the court deemed to be in violation of federal laws. Musk serves as the technology chief of X.
The primary objective of Brazil’s stringent internet regulations is to restrict the dissemination of political misinformation, incitements to violence, and hate speech that is detrimental to democratic institutions. In Brazil, it is also mandatory for technology platforms to have a legal representative.
Musk initially closed X’s headquarters in Brazil and stated that he would not employ a legal representative there for an extended period, rather than complying. Musk spent months denigrating de Moraes, comparing him to the movie villain Voldemort, and describing “the evil tyranny of Moraes.” He also referred to him as a “fake” judge.
The Brazilian newspaper Correio Brazilenese reported that X was under pressure from investors in Musk-led companies to comply with Brazilian law by late September, as the company was threatened with daily penalties.
X’s business accounts in Brazil, as well as those of Starlink, a satellite internet service provider in the country owned by SpaceX, were frozen by the court at one point.
According to data from SimilarWeb, competitors such as Bluesky and Threads acquired millions of consumers in Brazil during X’s suspension. On Tuesday, G1 Globo news reported that users were regaining access to X following the court’s authorization.
Source : CNBC News
