Musk’s X Pursues Brazil Comeback After Retreating from ‘Censorship’ Feud, Reports Reuters

By Ricardo Brito and Luciana Magalhaes

BRASILIA – Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has informed Brazil’s Supreme Court that it has taken steps to comply with orders designed to combat the spread of misinformation, requesting the court to lift a ban on its services. This marks a significant shift for Musk as he faces accusations of censorship.

A decision regarding the platform’s reinstatement is still awaited, but associates of Musk in Brazil are optimistic that access will be restored soon.

This request for resuming operations in Brazil, one of X’s largest markets, comes after the platform exhibited conciliatory gestures, indicating a notable softening in Musk’s protracted conflict with Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The judge has been actively combatting what he perceives as threats to democracy and the misuse of disinformation.

In late August, he ordered the suspension of Brazilian users’ access to X, an action that followed Musk’s closure of the platform’s offices in the country in defiance of Moraes’ directives.

The legal struggle also impacted another Musk-owned venture, the satellite internet service Starlink, as Moraes froze its accounts, leading Musk to label the judge a "dictator."

This conflict in Brazil has been part of a broader pattern of confrontations involving Musk, who positions himself as a defender of free speech, and various governments in places like Australia and the UK, which aim to curb online misinformation.

Brazil ranks as the sixth-largest market for X, boasting approximately 21.5 million users.

Musk’s reluctance to further alienate Brazilian users and his realization that opposing Justice Moraes was an unwise strategy contributed to this change. Observers noted that Brazilians continued to support Moraes, contrary to Musk’s expectations.

In a last-ditch effort to navigate around the ban, X attempted to utilize third-party cloud services to maintain access; however, this was short-lived after Moraes threatened financial penalties against the company.

Recently, X implemented more conciliatory measures, including appointing a local legal representative as required by Moraes.

In its submission to the Supreme Court, X stated it had suspended nine accounts linked to an investigation into hate speech and misinformation.

Rubens Barbosa, a former Brazilian ambassador to the United States, commented positively on Musk’s shift, underscoring the importance of adhering to legal frameworks.

According to sources familiar with Musk’s perspective, once X resumes operations in Brazil, he is likely to adopt a different approach. While he may still exhibit a combative stance, it is expected that he will aim to operate within legal boundaries.

No comments have been received from X regarding this situation.