Brazil’s Supreme Court Mandates X’s Reinstatement in Brazil

October 8, 2024 TruthUSA

The court decision comes after a series of steps taken by X, such as paying approximately $5.4 million in fines.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has allowed the immediate return of X in Brazil following the company’s compliance with legal requirements and past court orders.

The decision was issued on Oct. 8 by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, instructing Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to facilitate the platform’s operations in the country, where an estimated 20 million users access X.

X, owned by Elon Musk, had been suspended nationwide since Aug. 30 due to failure to comply with court orders regarding legal representation and content moderation, as well as the suspension of specific user accounts.

The suspension was part of an investigation into X’s alleged role in spreading misinformation and hate speech during critical periods, including the lead-up to Brazil’s 2024 municipal elections.

Both Musk and X’s global government affairs team have criticized de Moraes’s orders and the suspension as attempts at censorship.

In a statement released by the Supreme Court on Oct. 8, de Moraes emphasized that X’s return depends on full compliance with Brazilian law and adherence to Judiciary decisions.

De Moraes’s decision comes after X’s compliance with various measures, including the payment of fines totaling about $5.4 million and the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil. The ruling states that X showed compliance by filing multiple petitions in September. These included actions on Sept. 18 to block law-violating accounts and on Sept. 20 to register its legal representative with Brazilian authorities. Additionally, by Oct. 4, X confirmed the full payment of outstanding fines.

The court had previously outlined these requirements for X’s return due to concerns about its use by extremist groups.

While other countries have banned X, such actions have typically been in authoritarian regimes. X, formerly Twitter, has been banned in Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Nations like Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt have also temporarily suspended X to suppress dissent.

Critics fear X’s suspension in Brazil reflects a wider trend of censorship in the country. The Alliance Defending Freedom International called Brazil’s approach one of the most oppressive forms of censorship in the Western Hemisphere.

Matteo Ceurvels, an analyst at Emarketer, noted that Musk’s decision to comply in Brazil is likely driven by economic considerations due to the loss of users and advertising revenue.

X did not provide a comment on the reinstatement decision.

Epoch Times reporter Owen Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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