The Brazilian Supreme Court has made a key ruling to lift the ban on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), after the company finally complied with all court demands. This decision comes after a months-long battle between X's owner, Elon Musk, and the Brazilian judiciary, led by Judge Alexandre de Moraes. Musk's platform was suspended in August 2024 for violating court orders related to the removal of accounts that spread misinformation, particularly related to the 2022 presidential elections in Brazil.

X ultimately paid significant fines amounting to 28 million reais (about 5.1 million dollars), blocked problematic accounts, and appointed a Brazilian legal representative, allowing the platform to return to the Brazilian market. According to Brazilian law, foreign companies must appoint a local representative for court disputes, and failure to comply with this rule was one of the reasons for the ban. Ultimately, Rachel de Oliveira Conceição was appointed as the new representative of X in Brazil, enabling the lifting of the ban.

Before this turnaround, Musk openly criticized the Brazilian judge, calling him a "dictator" and accusing him of censorship. He argued that the ban undermines freedom of speech, while Judge de Moraes emphasized the importance of curbing misinformation to protect democracy in the country. This conflict further escalated after pro-democracy groups warned of the dangers posed by unfiltered information on social media, especially in the context of violent riots in January 2023 in Brasilia, which were partially attributed to online platforms.

Despite initial resistance, Musk eventually yielded to pressures and decided to cooperate with the Brazilian judiciary, likely due to Brazil's economic significance as a market for X. With over 22 million users, Brazil is one of the largest markets for this platform globally, and the ban severely impacted X's presence in Latin America. With the growing popularity of alternative platforms like Bluesky and Threads, Musk faced pressure to re-establish access for users to maintain his market position.

The return of X to the Brazilian market comes at a crucial moment, especially in light of the upcoming local elections, when it will be important to monitor how the platform will handle the challenges of content regulation. In September 2024, the platform finally began to meet all court requirements, allowing it to restart its services in Brazil.

Anatel, the Brazilian telecommunications regulator, is responsible for ensuring that the service is available again within 24 hours, restoring access to the platform for more than 20 million users. While many users switched to alternative platforms and VPNs during the ban, X now hopes to regain part of its lost audience.

This decision to restart X marks a turning point in Musk's relationship with the Brazilian judiciary and could set a precedent for regulating large technological platforms in the future. Pro-democracy organizations and political commentators hailed the court's decision as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, emphasizing that even multinational companies must respect the laws of each country in which they operate.