São Paulo, Brazil – Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorised the resumption of operations for the social media platform X on Tuesday, after the company paid fines totaling R$28.6 million (USD 5.1 million) for repeatedly failing to comply with judicial rulings.
On August 30, Moraes had ordered the suspension of X’s activities in Brazil, citing the platform’s failure to appoint a legal representative in the country. The suspension was largely based on concerns that X was being used to spread hate speech and misinformation, while also disregarding court orders to remove content and block certain users.
“The continued and expanding use of X Brazil by extremist groups and digital militias to spread Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech—especially in the lead-up to the 2024 municipal elections,” Moraes wrote in his ruling at the time.
(Photo: Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agência Brasil)
Three days after Moraes’ decision, the suspension of X was unanimously upheld by a panel of five Supreme Court justices.
X’s owner, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, got into frequent public spats with Moraes on X, even calling the judge a dictator.
During the platform’s suspension, X complied by paying the fines and designating Rachel de Oliveira Villa Nova as its legal representative in Brazil.
Despite the court’s decision, the return of X will not be immediate.
Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) must first notify internet providers to restore access to the platform. However, X is expected to be fully operational again by early Wednesday.