Brazilian law prevails in X vs Moraes battle, but it’s not over yet for Musk

After months of showdown between US billionaire Elon Musk and the Brazilian judiciary, the law has finally prevailed! Social media platform X has now agreed to appoint a legal representative in the South American country, one of the key demands made by the Brazilian Supreme Court. It has also paid the fines imposed for earlier violations and agreed to block certain accounts that the top court said were spreading disinformation and threatening the country’s democracy.

Battle not over yet

But it’s not all yet. The Supreme Court has reportedly told X that it didn’t file proper documentation showing Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao has been appointed as the company’s legal representative.

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Now, X has been given five days to furnish documents validating her appointment to the post.

Showdown between Musk and Brazil judge

The showdown turned ugly in April when Judge Alexandre de Moraes asked Musk to take down more than 100 accounts that were raising questions about the legitimacy of the 2022 presidential elections. Right-wing incumbent leader Jair Bolsonaro had lost those elections.

In mid-August, Musk struck a defiant tone, closing down X’s office in Brazil and leaving it without a legal representative in violation of local laws.

"Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,"X's Global Government Affairs account posted. "As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately," the statement added.

X’s temporary comeback last week

X’s compliance with demands made by the Brazilian court comes a week after the app’s temporary comeback last week. X appeared in Brazil after a software update.

However, Moraes was quick to intervene, saying it had been “wilful, illegal and persistent”, and levied a R$5m fine (£680,000) on X.

(With inputs from agencies)