The government of Brazil lifted its injunction against Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after agreeing to a list of court demands and paying a USD 5.1-million fine, the BBC reported.
Under the court order, X agreed to other compliance measures seeking to stop the distribution of misinformation, the BBC reported. the court found x liable for allowing the spread of misinformation relating to the 2022 Brazilian election.
The decision ends a turbulent period for X, which had been stuck in a legal stalemate with Brazilian authorities.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized the “immediate return” of the platform after X blocked accounts accused of spreading misinformation and paid fines totaling 28 million reais (USD 5.1 million). X also agreed to appoint a local representative to be on the ground in Brazil, as required by Brazilian law.
The dispute escalated earlier this year when the platform, at Musk’s direction, refused to remove profiles that the Brazilian government claimed were undermining public trust with false election information.
After months of defiance by X, Justice Moraes ordered a nationwide ban on the platform, citing the company’s lack of cooperation.
In response to the initial court orders, Musk slammed the Brazilian government’s actions as a “violation of free speech,” labeling the ban as “an abuse of power.”
In retaliation, Musk fired X’s Brazilian staff in August and closed the company’s office in the country, a decision he later described as “difficult.”
However, growing pressure from the court as well as the financial penalties led to the company finally complying with the law and court orders in September.
On Tuesday, X released a statement celebrating its return to the Brazilian market. “Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process,” the company said.
With an estimated 22 million users, Brazil is a critical market for X, being its largest in Latin America and one of the biggest globally.