Musk's X cleared for Brazil return after legal tussle

The social media service X, owned by Elon Musk, is again available in Brazil. The country's Supreme Court has granted permission to unblock the platform after its owners took actions that complied with the Brazilian judiciary's requirements. "X is proud to return to Brazil," the platform stated in an announcement.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided to unblock the service, stating that the platform had met all the conditions necessary to resume operations.

"X met all the requirements to resume operations in Brazil, the largest country in Latin America," he declared. The Brazilian Internet regulation office Anatel is also set to restore access to the portal within 24 hours (Eastern Time).

X, blocked since August, was excluded from the Brazilian market because it did not have a legal representative in the country, which is against local laws. Brazilian law requires international corporations to maintain official representatives locally, which the platform had previously ignored.

X's problems in Brazil began a few months ago when de Moraes demanded the unblocking of accounts under investigation for spreading disinformation. This included accounts related to supporters of Brazil's far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Elon Musk initially refused to comply with the court order. In his comment, the platform's owner called the Brazilian judge a "dictator."

However, in recent weeks, Musk's approach has changed. X decided to block accounts under judicial investigation, appointed a representative for Brazil, and settled the financial penalties imposed by the local judiciary. Consequently, the platform regained permission to operate in the Brazilian market. On Tuesday, X's representatives expressed pride in returning to Brazil, emphasizing that they will "continue to defend freedom of speech within the limits of the law" in the countries where they operate.

Brazilian Communications Minister Juscelino Filho also commented on the decision to allow X to resume operations in Brazil. He described the platform's actions as a "victory for the country." He stated, "We showed the world that here our laws should be respected by whomever it may be."

X's statement reads: "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 conflict involved not only the disregard of the Brazilian court's demands but also the overall stance towards freedom of speech and the real ability of international corporations operating online to enforce local regulations.