Musk's X returns to Brazil after legal showdown ends

Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided to unblock the service, stating that the platform had met all the necessary conditions to resume operations.

He announced that X had fulfilled all the necessary conditions to restart operations in Brazil, the largest nation in Latin America. Additionally, Brazil's internet regulatory agency, Anatel, is expected to restore access to the platform within the next 24 hours.

X, blocked since August, was excluded from the Brazilian market because it did not have a legal representative for the country, which is against local law. Brazilian law requires international corporations to maintain official representatives locally, which the platform had previously ignored.

X's problems in Brazil began a few months ago when de Moraes demanded the unblocking of accounts under investigation for spreading misinformation. These included accounts linked to supporters of Brazil's far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Elon Musk initially refused to comply with the court order. In his commentary, the platform's owner called the Brazilian judge a "dictator."

However, in recent weeks, Musk's approach has changed. X decided to block the accounts under judicial proceedings, appointed a representative for Brazil, and settled the financial penalties imposed by the Brazilian judicial system. As a result, the platform once again obtained permission to operate in the Brazilian market. On Tuesday, X's representatives expressed pride in returning to Brazil while emphasising that they will "continue to defend freedom of speech within the limits of the law" in their countries.

Brazilian Minister of Communications Juscelino Filho also commented on the decision to allow X to operate again in Brazil. He described the platform's actions as a "victory for the country." He stated, "We showed the world that here our laws should be respected by whomever it may be."

X's statement reads: "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."

The conflict involved ignoring the Brazilian court's demands as well as the general stance regarding freedom of speech and the real ability of local laws to be enforced by international corporations operating online.