A top judge at Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that social platform
Judge Alexandre de Moraes’ ruling, which was made public on Tuesday, concludes a months-long feud between De Moraes and X owner Elon Musk over the platform’s moderation, far-right accounts and disinformation.
Tensions between Musk and de Moraes escalated in August when X closed its office in Brazil after a judge ordered the platform to remove posts from the site. If X did not comply, the judge said he would impose a daily fine of $3,650 and an arrest warrant on his representative, Rachel de Oliveira Villa Nova Conceição.
Musk initially pushed back, calling the orders censorship and describing De Moraes in August as an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.” This ultimately led to the closure of the platform on August 30.
Musk and X ultimately complied fully and paid the fines, Brazil’s Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
“The resumption of (X)’s activities on national territory was solely dependent on full compliance with Brazilian laws and absolute compliance with the decisions of the judiciary, out of respect for national sovereignty,” De Moraes said in the judicial document, translated by The Associated Press.
A spokesperson for X Global Government Affairs said the platform is “proud” to return to Brazil.
“Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform has been critical throughout this process. We will continue to defend freedom of expression, within the limits of the law, wherever we operate,” the spokesperson wrote on X.
Brazil’s reinstatement of X reopens one of the platform’s largest markets, which has an estimated user base of 20 to 40 million, the AP reported.
Part of the requirements for X included appointing a legal representative. Brazilian law requires foreign companies to have a local legal representative to handle notifications and subsequent responses to court decisions, the newswire said.
Conceição was first appointed legal representative of X in Brazil in April, before resigning months later. A Sept. 20 filing with São Paulo’s commercial register shows she has been renamed to the same role, but with a clause requiring her to follow Brazilian law and court rulings, the AP reported.
Musk previously challenged an order from De Moraes in April requiring the platform to block certain accounts in the country and vowed to reverse the restrictions. However, X ultimately said it would abide by the rulings.
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