Musk bows to Brazil’s Supreme Court! X set to return after months-long showdown over hate speech

Elon Musk's X has been cleared by the Brazil Supreme Court to resume operations in the country. This clearance comes after the social media platform reversed course and began complying with court orders that billionaire owner Musk had previously vowed to oppose.

This decision comes after months of conflict between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Musk over issues of hate speech moderation and legal compliance in Brazil.

X in Brazil

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X (formerly known as Twitter) was suspended in late August for not adhering to court rulings, including a failure to moderate hate speech and appoint a legal representative in Brazil.

Musk, who had denounced these demands as censorship, had called Moraes a "dictator." However, in recent weeks, he has reversed his position. The company began blocking accounts flagged by the court, appointed a local representative, and paid overdue fines, clearing the way for its return.

Justice Moraes ruled on Tuesday that X had met all the stipulated requirements to start operating in the nation. He ordered Brazil's telecommunications regulator, Anatel, to restore the platform within 24 hours. However, as per a Reuters report, as of 7 pm local time, the platform was still offline.

X celebrates return

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

Brazilian Communication Minister Juscelino Filho hailed X’s compliance as a "victory for the country," asserting that "We showed the world that here our laws should be respected, by whomever it may be".

This ruling follows months of legal battles over X's refusal to comply with local regulations, with Musk positioning himself as a defender of free speech even as he faced pressure from governments around the world to prevent the spread of online misinformation.

According to Statista Brazil is a significant market for X, with about 21.5 million users, making it the platform's sixth-largest market globally. During the suspension, many users migrated to alternative platforms such as Bluesky and Meta-owned Threads.

(With inputs from agencies)