Elon Musk’s social media platform X has yielded to Brazil’s judiciary by complying with court orders that had previously blocked access to the platform in the country, The Guardian reports.
X appointed a legal representative, Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao, paid fines, and removed user accounts deemed to threaten democracy. However, the Brazilian Supreme Court noted that X had not submitted proper documentation for her appointment and gave the company five days to provide the necessary paperwork.
The conflict escalated after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X to remove over 100 accounts questioning the legitimacy of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 election loss. Musk responded by closing X’s Brazilian offices, leaving the company without a required legal representative, prompting Moraes to order service providers to block access to X. X briefly reappeared in Brazil following a software update, which the court deemed illegal, resulting in additional fines totaling over R$23 million (£3.2 million).
Musk, known for advocating free speech, despite his objections to legal orders in Brazil and Australia, has been less vocal about content moderation in other countries like Turkey and India. Brazil’s large population makes it a significant market for social media companies.
