Social network X capitulated and complied with court orders to return to Brazil

Social network X told the Brazilian Supreme Court that it had complied with orders to stop the spread of disinformation and asked the judge to lift the block from the platform, Reuters reported, citing relevant documents.

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The owner of the social network X, Elon Musk, spent more than five months discussing with the judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, and tried to resist his orders, which the businessman characterized as manifestations of censorship. As a result, the authorities blocked the social network in the country at the end of August. The court’s decision to return access to X has not yet been made, but the work of the social network may be restored in the coming days, Musk’s Brazilian associates say. Access to the site in Brazil is “essential for a thriving democracy,” the X administration said yesterday, adding that it respects the sovereignty of the countries in which it operates. “We will continue to defend free speech and due process through legal means,” the company said in a statement.

During the conflict, Judge Moraes ordered the freezing of the Brazilian accounts of Starlink, a satellite operator that, along with X, belongs to Elon Musk. The businessman also entered into confrontations with the authorities of Australia and Great Britain, defending freedom of speech, as he interprets it. Brazil is X’s sixth largest market, with the platform having 21.5 million users in the country. In an attempt to bypass the block, the social network used third-party cloud services, but abandoned this plan when Moraes threatened the company with large fines.

At the end of last week, X went to peace, blocking nine accounts that belong to persons involved in investigations conducted by Brazilian authorities; the company then appointed a legal representative in the country. Musk, however, does not intend to give up, Reuters sources say. Once the platform returns to the country, he will likely defend his position in the courts.