The Supreme Court of Brazil has lifted the prohibition on This decision was taken after X agreed to comply with the tribunal’s orders, which included paying fines and naming a local representative as required by Brazilian law. This measure marked the end of a months-long confrontation between Musk and Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes.
The judge of Moraes authorized the immediate return of Additionally, He instructed the telecommunications agency of Brazil, Anatel, to ensure that the X services would be restored within a period of 24 hours. The platform counts with more than 20 million users in Brazil, making it the company’s fifth largest market globally, after Japan, India, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
Musk’s confrontation with Justice
The initial prohibition of This occurred following allegations that X had not complied with previous judicial orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading disinformation. The tensions between Musk and the judge de Moraes increased when Musk publicly criticized the judge, calling him “the dictator of Brazil” and threatening his removal.
In April 2023, Musk’s Global Government Issues team expressed its concern over being forced to block popular accounts in Brazil without a clear justification. Musk claimed that this censorship violates the rights of freedom of expression, a principle he promotes consistently. However, despite its stance as an “absolutist of freedom of expression”, X has complied with similar government orders in other countries, including India.
The paper of the judge de Moraes and the controversy
Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen high-profile cases in Brazil, including investigations into former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been a polarizing figure. Ordered an X blocking accounts linked to the spread of disinformation, which it considers a critical threat to Brazilian democracy. Following the non-fulfillment of X, de Moraes joined the platform and froze the assets of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.
De Moraes is no stranger to the controversy. In 2022, it ordered a temporary ban on the messaging application Telegram for not cooperating with the investigations, although the ban was later lifted. Its failures, especially in relation to technological platforms, have generated debates about the balance between regulation and freedom of expression, and in many of Brazil’s right-wing political circles accusations of partisanship.
The challenge of Musk and the broader fight
Musk has openly challenged some of Moraes’ decisions, refusing to block access to X through Starlink and questioning the authority of the Brazilian judicial system. The conflict between governments and technological giants over content regulation has turned into a global problem, and Brazil is now at the center of the debate. The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has supported de Moraes, emphasizing the need to comply with judicial decisions and preserve the state of law, even when multimillionaires are involved.
