Elon Musk's X, following court orders, granted permission to restart operations in Brazil.
Brazil's top court allowed X to resume operations in the nation on Tuesday, following the platform's shift to adhere to judicial rulings that billionaire owner Elon Musk had earlier pledged to defy.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had engaged in a lengthy confrontation with Musk, gave X the go-ahead to restart its services in South America's largest country straightaway.
In the verdict, Moraes confirmed that X had satisfied all the essential requirements to operate again in the country.
Previously, the service, formerly known as Twitter, had been banned in Brazil, one of its most significant and sought-after markets, since late August, due to non-compliance with court instructions related to hate speech regulation and failure to designate a local legal representative, as mandated by law.
Musk, who denounced the orders as censorship and labeled Moraes a "dictator," started to alter his stance in recent weeks. His social media network blocked accounts flagged by the court, appointed a local representative, and settled outstanding fines.
Moraes, in his Tuesday decision, ordered Brazil's telecommunications regulator Anatel to enable X to reconnect within 24 hours.
Through its Global Affairs account, X expressed joy at returning to Brazil, stating, "We will keep defending free speech, within the confines of the law" in the countries where it operates.
The Brazil dispute was one of several recent skirmishes between Musk, who advocates for free speech, and governments such as Australia and the United Kingdom, striving to curb the dissemination of online misinformation.
Brazil's communication minister declared Tuesday that X's decision to comply with court orders and pay fines was a "victory for the country." "We demonstrated to the world that here, our laws should be respected, regardless of who violates them," Juscelino Filho stated in a statement.
Legal conflict
X's suspension initially stemmed from an individual ruling by Moraes, who has spearheaded a local campaign against perceived attacks on democracy and the political use of disinformation. His ruling was later unanimously backed by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court and its chief justice.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also voiced support for the move, stating that businesses operating in Brazil must adhere to local laws, and the world was not obligated to endure Musk's far-right ideology due to his wealth.
Justices, however, had expressed at the time that they would be open to reconsidering the suspension if X complied with rulings. The social media company initially refused to obey since it deemed them "illegal."
Brazil is X's sixth-largest market globally and as of April, had around 21.5 million users, according to data platform Statista. During the suspension, many users switched to rival platforms like Bluesky and Threads, owned by Meta (META).
X had legal representation in Brazil until mid-August, when it decided to close its operations in the country due to the court's orders, which it branded as "censorship orders," without designating someone to assume legal responsibilities for the company locally.
This eventually led to the suspension, in a judicial conflict that also affected another prominent business controlled by Musk, satellite Internet provider Starlink, whose accounts Moraes temporarily froze to cover fines imposed on X.
A new X representative, lawyer Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao, was appointed in late September, when X also reported that it had started blocking accounts ordered by the court.
Earlier this month, the firm settled outstanding fines, paving the way for reinstatement in the country.
The business decision by X to adhere to Brazil's judicial rulings, including designating a local legal representative, opened doors for a potential resurgence in their tech operations in the country.
With the Supreme Court's approval, X now has an opportunity to re-establish its tech presence in the tech-savvy Brazilian market, known for its significant user base.
