Elon Musk’s ex told Brazil’s Supreme Court he has complied with orders to stop the spread of misinformation and asked a judge to lift a ban on the platform, calling it “censorship”, according to a document seen by Reuters. In a major comeback by the struggling billionaire.
The court’s decision on the return of X is still pending, but people close to Musk in Brazil believe the service could be restored within a few days.
The request to restart activities in Brazil, one of X’s largest and most prestigious markets, follows several conciliatory steps by the social media platform in Musk’s months-long dispute with Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Signals a dramatic comeback.
The judge, who has led a local crusade against alleged attacks on democracy and the political use of disinformation, in late August cut off Brazilians’ access to the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The drastic move follows Musk’s decision to close X’s offices in Brazil because he resisted following Moraes’ orders.
The judicial battle ultimately affected another major business controlled by Musk, satellite internet provider Starlink, whose accounts were frozen by Moraes, leading Musk to label him a “dictator”.
The Brazil controversy was one of a series of recent face-offs between Musk, who sees himself as a champion of free speech, and governments trying to curb the spread of misinformation online, including Australia and Britain.
Brazil was X’s sixth-largest market globally, with approximately 21.5 million users.
Thiago de Aragão, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategy, said, “While Musk was afraid of losing market share, he also realized that it was a bullshit fight and that Brazilians were not going to turn their backs on Justice Alexandre de Moraes, as They had hope.” and International Studies in Washington.
In a last-ditch effort to circumvent Moraes’ ban, After threatening to impose heavy fine on the company.
Late last week, Ax moved in a more conciliatory direction, appointing a local legal representative as Moraes had demanded.
In a document sent to the Brazilian Supreme Court, the Musk-controlled company said it had blocked nine accounts as part of an investigation into hate speech and misinformation.
“Their withdrawal is very positive. Whether one agrees with it or not, the law must be respected, not disregarded,” Rubens Barbosa, Brazil’s former ambassador to the United States, told Reuters.
The billionaire will take a very different approach when Ax returns to Brazil, according to two people familiar with Musk’s thinking, adding that he may still be combative but will try to respect the law. “From now on, he will fight in the courts,” said one of the people.
X did not respond to a request for comment.
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