X Is Back in Brazil!
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) has approved the immediate return of X (formerly Twitter) after the platform met all legal requirements. The court has also directed the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to restore service across the country.
What Led to This?
X was suspended on August 31 after Musk defied court orders to remove certain user accounts and content violating federal laws. Brazil has strict internet regulations aimed at curbing hate speech and misinformation, requiring tech platforms to have a legal representative in the country. Instead of complying, Musk initially closed X’s Brazilian headquarters and criticized the brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, comparing him to the fictional villain Voldemort.
Compliance Achieved:
in the decision, Moraes said X had met all the necessary requirements to start operating again in the country.
Musk, who had denounced the orders as censorship and called Moraes a “dictator,” started to reverse his position in recent weeks, with his social media network blocking accounts flagged by the court, tapping a local representative and paying pending outstanding fines amounting to R$28.6 million ($5.1 million), which had contributed to the five-week suspension..
Next Steps:
Through its Global Affairs account, X said it was proud to return to Brazil, adding that it “will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law” in the countries where it operates. Brazil is X’s sixth-biggest market globally and as of April had about 21.5 million users, according to data platform Statista. During the suspension, many users migrated to rival platforms such as Bluesky and Meta owned Threads.
