Brazilian telecoms agency Anatel was ordered to resume service, while Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court said the lift of the ban comes with specific conditions. The company is still required to have “absolute compliance with the decisions of the judiciary, in respect of national sovereignty,” de Moraes wrote in a statement, according to Deadline.
The statement also indicated that X proved it blocked profiles that spread misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian election. The company also appointed a legal representative, which is required by Brazilian law. X’s previous failure to do so is what led to the ban in the first place. The company also paid fines equivalent to $5.1 million.
What X says about Brazilians being able to return to the platform
“X is proud to return to Brazil. Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process,” X’s Global Government Affairs team wrote on the social media platform. “We will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate.”
Brazil banned X in late August due to its refusal to comply with orders de Moraes set over issues of free speech, far-right accounts and rampant misinformation. At the time, the suspension came after a months-long dispute between de Moraes and Elon Musk, who acquired the company on Oct. 28, 2022.
Musk had called de Moraes a “dictator,” accusing him of censorship over the issue, according to The New York Post.
“Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country,” De Moraes responded in August, as reported by Blavity.