Brazilian telecommunications agency Anatel has been ordered to resume services, but Federal Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the lifting of the ban would come with certain conditions. According to Deadline, de Moraes said in a statement that the company is still required to “absolutely abide by judicial decisions regarding national sovereignty.”
The statement also indicated that X has certified that it has blocked profiles spreading misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian elections. The company has also appointed a legal representative as required by Brazilian law. X’s failure to do so earlier led to the ban in the first place. The company also paid a fine worth $5.1 million.
What X says about Brazilians being able to return to the platform
“X is proud to return to Brazil. Providing tens of millions of Brazilians with access to our essential platform has been of paramount importance throughout this process,” said X’s Global・The Government Affairs team wrote on the social media platform. “We will continue to protect free speech within the bounds of the law wherever we operate.”
Brazil banned X in late August for not following orders set by President de Moraes on issues of free speech, far-right accounts and rampant disinformation. At the time, the suspension came after months of dispute between Mr. de Moraes and Elon Musk, who acquired the company on October 28, 2022.
According to the New York Post, Musk called de Moraes a “dictator” and criticized censorship over the issue.
As reported by Blavity newspaper, De Moraes said in August that “Elon Musk has shown complete contempt for Brazil’s sovereignty, especially its judiciary, and has shown himself to be a true supranational entity, subject to the laws of each country. “We have set the law in a position where it is exempt,” he argued.