X Complies With Court Order: Returns to Brazil

Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, returned to service in Brazil on October 9, 2024, following a month-long suspension imposed by the Brazilian Supreme Court. The platform had been banned for failing to meet court demands related to content moderation, particularly concerning the spread of disinformation.

The court authorized X’s return after it agreed to comply with all of the court’s previous demands. These include:

• Block specific accounts accused of spreading harmful disinformation.
• Reinstate a legal representative in Brazil to ensure ongoing accountability under local laws.
• Pay a fine of $5.1 million (28.6 million reais).

In August 2024, Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes served X with a court order to take down select accounts and content that were spreading disinformation about the country’s electoral system. Musk, known as a free speech absolutist, instead closed X's offices in Brazil, effectively leaving the company without a local legal representative — a federal requirement in the country.

By late August, Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, ordered ISPs to block access to X due to its failure to comply with the court order. This led to X’s full suspension in Brazil by September 2024, rendering the platform inaccessible to its Brazilian users.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage surged in Brazil in an attempt by locals to bypass the ISP blocks and access the platform. This occurred despite the court’s ruling that prohibited the use of VPNs to access X, which came with a hefty fine of 50,000 reais (about $8,910) per day on anyone caught.

On September 2nd, Justice Flávio Dino reaffirmed X’s ban, arguing that the company "considered itself above the rule of law."

In a statement made on its official account, X announced that it was proud to return to the country, but reaffirmed its dedication to users’ privacy: “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.”