The decision came from Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who mandated X to pay a 28 million reais (US$5.1 million) fine and blocking accounts accused of spreading misinformation. The platform is also required to appoint a local representative as stipulated by Brazilian law.
The platform had been blocked since August 30 for defying court orders to ban profiles accused of spreading false information related to the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.
Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed “free-speech absolutist,” had described the initial ban as an overreach of power and closed X’s Brazilian office in protest. After the ban, many Brazilian users shifted to alternative platforms like Bluesky, and VPN usage spiked.
Following months of non-compliance, X began adhering to the court’s demands in September, leading to the eventual lifting of the ban.
With more than 20 million users in Brazil, X remains one of the country’s largest social media platforms, and the company expressed pride in returning to serve its Brazilian users.
X is proud to return to Brazil. Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process. We will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate.
——————-
O…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) October 8, 2024
