Alex Omenye
In a significant reversal, Elon Musk’s X has informed Brazil’s Supreme Court that it has complied with orders to curb the spread of misinformation and requested the lifting of the platform’s ban.
Musk had resisted compliance for over five months, criticizing the orders as “censorship” and clashing with a judge in one of X’s most valuable markets. In late August, the court blocked access to the platform for Brazilian users.
While a court decision on the platform’s return is pending, sources close to Musk in Brazil are optimistic that service could resume within days. Late Thursday, X emphasized the platform’s importance to Brazilian democracy and affirmed its commitment to respecting the laws of the countries it operates in. “We will continue to defend freedom of expression and due process through legal means,” the company stated.
The conflict began after Justice Alexandre de Moraes, known for his campaign against misinformation and threats to democracy, ordered the ban following the closure of X’s offices in Brazil. The legal standoff also affected Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet provider, after Moraes froze its accounts, prompting Musk to refer to him as a “dictator.”
Musk’s fight in Brazil is part of a broader pattern of conflicts with governments, including those in Australia and the UK, over online misinformation.
Brazil represents X’s sixth-largest global market, with 21.5 million users. Thiago de Aragao, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, commented, “Musk realized that this was a losing battle, and Brazilians were not siding against Justice de Moraes as he had expected.”
In an attempt to circumvent the ban, X briefly utilized third-party cloud services to restore access, but the strategy failed after Moraes threatened heavy fines. Recently, X took a more compliant approach, appointing a legal representative in Brazil and blocking nine accounts involved in investigations of hate speech and misinformation.
Rubens Barbosa, a former Brazilian ambassador to the U.S., welcomed the move, stating, “His backtracking is very positive. Whether you agree with the law or not, it must be respected.”
Sources close to Musk suggest that while he may continue to challenge Brazil’s legal system, his strategy will shift to the courts. “He’ll still be combative, but this time within the boundaries of the law,” one insider noted.
