Brazil's Supreme Court Clears X to Resume Service after Compliance with Court Orders

Brazil's Supreme Court cleared X, formerly known as Twitter, to resume operations on Tuesday after the platform reversed its stance and complied with court orders that Musk had previously vowed to resist.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had been engaged in a months-long dispute with Musk, issued the ruling, allowing X to operate again in Latin America's largest country.

Moraes stated that X had fulfilled all the requirements necessary to restart its operations.

Musk had initially criticized the court orders as censorship and labeled Moraes a "dictator," but the social media platform recently began complying by blocking accounts flagged by the court, appointing a local representative, and paying outstanding fines.

In his Tuesday decision, Moraes ordered Brazil's telecommunications regulator, Anatel, to work on restoring access to X within 24 hours. As of 7 p.m. local time, users in Brazil were still unable to access the platform.

Through its Global Affairs account, X expressed pride in returning to Brazil and affirmed that it "will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law" in the countries where it operates.

The legal dispute in Brazil is one of several recent clashes between Musk, who presents himself as a defender of free speech, and governments such as Australia and the United Kingdom, which are aiming to curb online misinformation.

Brazil’s Communication Minister Juscelino Filho praised X's decision to comply with the court's orders, calling it a "victory for the country."

"We demonstrated to the world that our laws must be respected, no matter who you are," Filho said in a statement.

The suspension of X stemmed from an individual ruling by Moraes, who has been leading efforts in Brazil to combat perceived threats to democracy and the political use of disinformation.

This ruling was later upheld by a unanimous five-member panel of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also backed the suspension, asserting that businesses operating in Brazil must adhere to local laws, adding that the world is "not obligated to accept Musk's far-right ideology just because he is wealthy."

However, the justices had indicated that they were open to reconsidering the suspension if X complied with court orders, which the company had initially refused, calling them "illegal."

Brazil ranks as X’s sixth-largest market, with around 21.5 million users as of April, according to data from Statista. During the suspension, many users migrated to other platforms such as Bluesky and Meta-owned Threads.

X had legal representation in Brazil until mid-August, when the company closed its offices in response to the court orders, which it referred to as "censorship," leaving no one to assume legal responsibility in the country.

This move led to the suspension and also affected another Musk-controlled business, satellite internet provider Starlink, as Moraes temporarily froze its accounts to cover fines imposed on X.

In late September, a new X representative, lawyer Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao, was appointed, and X began complying with court orders to block certain accounts.

Earlier this month, the company paid the pending fines, paving the way for its reinstatement.

X’s suspension occurred during the final month of Brazil’s municipal elections, which took place on Sunday. In many cities, including Sao Paulo, run-offs for mayoral elections will be held on October 27.