BRASILIA: Supreme Court in Brazil on Tuesday cleared X to resume service in the country after the social media platform changed its stance and began complying with court rulings that billionaire owner Elon Musk had previously refused to acknowledge.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has had an ongoing conflict with Musk, granted X the go-ahead to operate in Latin America’s largest market, effective immediately. In his ruling, Moraes noted that “all the necessary requirements for the immediate return of X Brasil… were documented.”
X had been suspended in Brazil—one of its largest and most sought-after markets—since late August due to non-compliance with court orders regarding hate speech moderation and the failure to appoint a legal representative in the country, as mandated by law. Musk, who had previously criticized the orders as censorship and labeled Moraes a “dictator,” recently reversed his position, resulting in X blocking the required accounts, appointing a local representative, and settling outstanding fines.
In his Tuesday ruling, Moraes directed Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, to ensure that X can come back online within 24 hours. Earlier that day, Brazil’s top prosecutor’s office had provided a legal opinion to the court supporting the reinstatement, which was the final step needed for Moraes to allow X, formerly known as Twitter, to resume its services in Brazil.
