Brazil Lifts X Ban After Elon Musk Pays Fines and Complies with Supreme Court Demands

The Supreme Court of Brazil authorized the immediate reinstatement of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, after Elon Musk paid a fine of 28.6 million reais (5.2 million USD) and agreed to comply with judicial rulings.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also gave the national telecommunications agency, Anatel, 24 hours to take necessary actions to make X available again throughout the country. This decision came after the General Prosecutor's Office supported the platform's return, concluding that no unresolved issues remained that would prevent X's reactivation.

"The company has met all the requirements necessary for the immediate return of activities in Brazil," Moraes wrote in an order reported by Bloomberg. "I decree the end of the suspension."

This ruling marks the end of a series of disputes between Elon Musk, who owns X and advocates for free speech, and Moraes. Previously, the platform was blocked on August 30 by the court after failing to remove accounts accused of spreading disinformation, particularly those linked to ultraconservative movements and supporters of former President Bolsonaro.

In addition to paying the fines, X was required to suspend certain accounts and appoint a legal representative in Brazil, conditions that the platform ultimately accepted.

X had briefly managed to bypass the ban by using cybersecurity services to change its IP address, making it difficult for authorities to locate the platform online. However, when Moraes imposed a fine of 5 million reais (approximately 913,000 USD) per day for continued operation, X ceased its activity in the country.

Following the suspension, Musk publicly criticized the judge, calling him a "malicious dictator," while Moraes accused X of allowing the spread of information harmful to Brazil's democracy.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a recent interview with CNN, sided with Moraes, by claiming that he hopes the crisis surrounding the social network X in Brazil might teach the world that "it isn't obliged to put up with [Elon] Musk's far-right free-for-all just because he is rich".