Brazil's top judge ruled on Tuesday that social platform
The ruling by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, released Tuesday, follows a months-long feud between de Moraes and X owner Elon Musk over the platform's control of speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. It put an end to it.
Tensions between Mr. Musk and Mr. de Moraes further escalated in August when X closed its offices in Brazil after a judge ordered the platform to remove posts from the site. If X fails to comply, the judge stated that X will impose a daily fine of $3,650 and an arrest order against its representative, Rachel de Oliveira Villa Nova Conceição.
Mr. Musk initially called the order censorship, and in August he responded by describing Mr. de Moraes as an “evil dictator dressed as a judge.” This ultimately led to the platform being shut down on August 30th.
Brazil's Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that Musk and Mr.
“Out of respect for national sovereignty, the resumption of (X)'s activities within the national territory was conditioned only on full compliance with Brazilian law and absolute compliance with the decisions of the judicial branch,” de Moraes said. In court documents, Translated by The Associated Press.
A spokesperson for X Global Government Affairs said the platform is “proud” to be returning to Brazil.
“Throughout this process, it has been paramount that we give tens of millions of Brazilians access to our essential platform. We will protect free speech within the limits of the law wherever we operate. I will continue to protect it.” A spokesperson wrote about X:
Brazil's reinstatement of X will reopen one of the platform's largest markets, estimated to have a user base of 20 million to 40 million people, the Associated Press reported.
Part of X's requirements included the appointment of a legal representative. Brazilian law requires foreign companies to have local legal representatives to handle notifications and subsequent responses to court decisions, the newswire added.
Mr Conceição was first appointed as Mr X's legal representative in Brazil in April and resigned a few months later. According to documents filed at the São Paulo Commercial Registry on September 20, she was renamed to the same position, but with a clause requiring her to comply with Brazilian law and court rulings, the Associated Press reported.
Mr. Musk previously challenged President de Moraes' April order requiring the platform to block certain accounts in the country and vowed to lift the restrictions. However, X said he would ultimately comply with the ruling.
