Elon Musk’s X to resume service in Brazil after 5-week ban

Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to resume operations in the country after a suspension that lasted over a month.

This decision comes after X complied with several court mandates that billionaire owner Elon Musk previously resisted.

“X is proud to return to Brazil. Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate.”

Recently, X began blocking accounts flagged by the court and re-engaged with Brazilian legal requirements. Musk’s shift in strategy included paying fines of ~$5.1M and appointing lawyer Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao as a local representative.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes confirmed that X met all requirements for reinstatement. Justice Moraes stated in his decision that he had authorized the “immediate return” of the platform’s activities.

Microblogging website X, which had about 22 million users in Brazil, was blocked by Brazil’s Supreme Court on August 30 due to non-compliance of orders.

Despite the court’s ruling, users in Brazil were still unable to access the platform immediately. However, the telecommunications regulator Anatel was directed to ensure that X resumes operations within 24 hours.

“X is the most used news source in Brazil. It is what the people want. Now, the tyrant de Voldemort is crushing the people’s right to free speech,” Musk, CEO of EV maker Tesla (TSLA) and space exploration company SpaceX (SPACE), had lashed out earlier in response to the ban on platform X.