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Billionaire Elon Musk Bows to Brazil’s Court Orders to End Social Media Ban
After facing a ban in Brazil, Twitter owner Elon Musk has decided to comply with court orders to lift the restriction on his social media platform, X.
The ban was imposed due to X’s failure to appoint a legal representative in Brazil and alleged violations of court orders. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had given the company five days to submit documentation regarding its representative.
X has informed the court that it has blocked accounts accused of spreading hate speech and fake news. Musk has previously criticized the ban, calling it an attack on free speech.
The court will decide whether to reinstate X based on the company’s compliance with orders and the verification of earlier directives. The ban, which began on August 30th, had affected approximately 40 million Brazilian users.
Despite the ban, X became accessible to Brazilian users on Thursday after a software update, prompting the court to order its re-blocking or face daily fines of $907,000.
Musk has threatened to seize Brazilian government assets if X’s property is not returned. Brazil recently seized $3 million from X and Starlink to cover fines imposed by the Supreme Court.