After a long back-and-forth, Elon Musk’s X is back online in Brazil. The Supreme Court there authorized the social media platform’s return, roughly a month after it was blocked across the country. The dispute began when Musk disagreed with a judge’s rulings on free speech and misinformation, even calling the judge an authoritarian. Despite this, X ultimately complied with the court’s demands, which included blocking specific accounts, paying fines, and appointing a legal representative in Brazil.
The ban started when X refused to take down certain far-right accounts. The company even fired its local staff and cut ties with its legal representative due to threats of arrest. Brazilian law requires foreign companies to have a local legal representative to deal with court orders quickly. X did comply and named a new legal representative. However, some question if X really intends to engage with the country beyond the minimum required to comply with laws. Other tech giants like Meta and Google have more substantial setups in Brazil.
Some X users in Brazil have switched to other platforms like Threads and Bluesky. Bluesky has also appointed a legal representative in Brazil. Similar bans have happened in several countries, often to quell dissent. X has previously clashed with governments, such as in India over farmer protests. Once again, economic factors likely played a role in Musk’s decision to comply with Brazil’s demands, as X could have lost major market access and ad revenue otherwise.
