X Names Brazil Legal Representative Amid Fight Against Ban in the Country, Reports Reuters

BRASILIA (Reuters) – The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has appointed a legal representative in Brazil, according to the firm’s legal team on Friday. This move addresses one of the requirements set by Brazil’s Supreme Court to ensure the company’s operations in the country.

Andre Zonaro and Sergio Rosenthal, the newly appointed lawyers for X in Brazil, indicated that their colleague Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao has been selected as the legal representative, and her name has been submitted to the Supreme Court.

Brazilian regulations mandate that foreign companies designate a legal representative to operate within the country, who would bear the local legal responsibilities for the firm.

X had a legal representative in Brazil until mid-August when it chose to close its offices in the nation.

At the end of August, Brazil’s Supreme Court instructed mobile and internet service providers to block X due to the absence of a new legal representative, resulting in users being disconnected shortly thereafter.

This action followed a protracted dispute between Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes regarding the company’s failure to comply with court orders aimed at addressing the spread of hate speech on the platform.

Previously, courts have suspended accounts implicated in investigations related to misinformation and hate speech, which Musk has criticized as censorship.

On Thursday, X’s legal team in Brazil announced that the company is beginning to comply with court orders related to content removal, fulfilling another stipulation from the Supreme Court.