The social media platform X has had its ban lifted in Brazil. The platform had previously been banned across the country as of the 30th of August this year.
On Tuesday, the Brazilian courts authorized the return of social media platform X to service in Brazil, according to a court document that was made public.
Elon Musk’s X platform had an estimated user base ranging from 20 to 40 million in Brazil alone. The Minister of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, Alexandre De Moraes ordered the shutdown after an argument with Musk over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.
The billionaire X owner blasted De Moraes as an authoritarian and a censor, even though his rulings, along with X’s suspension, were consistently upheld by his peers.
During the battle between Brazil and X, Musk called de Moraes “Voldemort” and referred to him as a dictator. He also posted a meme of a dog showing its private parts in front of another animal to represent his rebellion against the ruling.
Musk has since backed down in an effort to keep the platform running in Brazil, with X complying with a list of demands from De Moraes. Failure to do so previously meant the platform was banned in the country.
In the court document, de Moraes said: “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.”
In response, X issued a statement: “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.”
The list of demands issued by Brazil includes blocking certain accounts from X, paying outstanding fines and having a legal representative in Brazil.
In recent days, Musk has paid the country 28.6 million reais ($5.1 million) in fines while also naming a Brazilian lawyer as X’s local representative. After those steps had been taken, de Moraes ordered the “end of suspension and authorised the immediate return of X’s activities to Brazil.”
Many Brazilian activists and commentators view X’s surrender as a victory for the country’s sovereignty and institutions.
Political commentator Gerson Camorotti said the ban “wasn’t censorship. This was non-compliance with judicial decisions… It’s Brazilian democracy that gains with this.”
Matteo Ceurvels, research firm Emarketer’s analyst for Latin America and Spain, also noted: “The move was pragmatic, likely driven by the economic consequences of losing access to millions of users in its third-largest market worldwide, along with the millions of dollars in associated advertising revenue.
“Although X may not be a top priority for most advertisers in Brazil, the platform needs them more than they need it.”
