After more than three weeks offline, the social media platform X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, appears on the verge of returning to Brazil, marking an end to a standoff with the country’s Supreme Court.
X’s lawyers informed Brazil’s Supreme Court last Friday that the platform had appointed legal representation in the country, a critical step toward restoring access for its 21 million users. As reported by Reuters, this legal move is essential for resuming operations in Brazil. The court granted X an additional five days to complete the necessary paperwork to formalize its legal status.
The social media platform, which has been largely inaccessible in Brazil since the start of September, briefly came back online on September 18, only to show users an error message: “Posts aren’t loading right now.” This brief reactivation indicated a shift in X’s approach, as the company expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Brazilian government in reestablishing the platform, a departure from the more defiant stance it took just weeks earlier.
In late August, as the ban was about to go into effect, X’s official account had posted inflammatory remarks against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Musk, in particular, had repeatedly criticized de Moraes on the platform, referring to him with pejorative nicknames like “Brazil’s Voldemort,” “Brazil’s Darth Vader,” and even accusing him of being a “dictator.” Musk also launched a separate account dedicated to exposing what he called “abuses of power” by the justice.
To fully restore its services in Brazil, X must finalize the paperwork for legal representation, pay a fine of approximately $1 million related to its temporary return last week, and provide proof that it has blocked all the accounts identified by the court.
The court order to block specific accounts traces back to May 2020, when Justice de Moraes ruled that certain profiles spread hate speech and targeted democratic institutions. Many of the flagged accounts belonged to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who was barred from running for office in 2023 after being convicted of abusing his political power and spreading unfounded claims of election fraud. Bolsonaro is also under investigation for his potential involvement in the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital.
This court order was part of a larger investigation into misinformation and online hate speech, particularly content that undermined Brazil’s democracy. The inquiry mirrored similar global concerns, such as unfounded claims of stolen elections, akin to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 elections.
Initially, X complied with the court’s orders by removing the flagged accounts. However, by April, X’s Global Affairs account labeled the orders illegal, citing that the prolonged appeal process had violated due process. Musk went on to threaten the reinstatement of the banned accounts, stating, “principles matter more than profit.”
The dispute between Musk and de Moraes has transcended the courtroom. During the brief return of X last week, Jair Bolsonaro himself posted a message in support of Musk, calling the court’s decision to block the platform “a serious violation of fundamental rights,” and characterizing it as more than mere censorship.
Musk has also found support abroad. In the U.S., Florida Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican, introduced legislation last week that directly named Musk and de Moraes. The bill seeks to punish foreign officials who violate Americans’ First Amendment rights by barring their entry into the United States.
Despite the ongoing legal and political drama, it seems that X is moving closer to a resolution in Brazil. Once the paperwork is completed and the fine paid, the platform could soon be back online, reconnecting millions of Brazilian users.
However, the broader implications for free speech, democracy, and misinformation remain uncertain, as Musk’s battle with Brazil’s Supreme Court continues to ripple across international politics.