Elon Musk’s X expected to be available again in Brazil before the elections

X has to pay a last fine before the social network of Elon Musk is allowed to be online again in Brazil, according to a decision published Friday by the highest judge of the country, Alexandre de Moraes.

The platform was suspended nationwide at the end of August, a decision confirmed by a panel of judges on September 2. Earlier this month, X filed documents informing Brazil’s Supreme Court that it is now complying with orders it previously defied.

As reported by Brazil’s G1 Globo, X’s legal representative in Brazil, Rachel de Oliveira, must also pay a fine of 300,000 reais.

The case dates back to April, when de Moraes, minister of Brazil’s Supreme Court, known as the Supreme Federal Court (STF), launched an investigation against Musk and X for alleged obstruction of justice.

Musk had vowed to defy court orders to close certain accounts in Brazil. He called the court’s actions “censorship” and criticized de Moraes online, describing the judge as a “criminal” and encouraging the United States to end foreign aid to Brazil.

In mid-August, Musk closed the X offices in Brazil. That left his company without a legal representative in the country, a federal requirement for all technology platforms to do business there.

On August 28, the Moraes court threatened a ban and fines if deceive or harm. federal agents, among other things.

Earlier this month, the STF froze the commercial assets of Musk’s companies, including X and the Starlink satellite internet business, which operates in Brazil. The STF said in court documents that it considered SpaceX and Starlink parent X companies that worked together as related parties.

Musk wrote in a post on

As head of the STF, de Moraes has long supported federal regulations to curb hate speech and disinformation online. His views have received pushback from tech companies and far-right officials in the country, along with former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters.

Bolsonaro is under investigation, suspected of orchestrating a coup in Brazil after losing the 2022 presidential election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

While Musk has called for retaliation against De Moraes and Lula, he has worked with and praised Bolsonaro for years. The former president of Brazil authorized SpaceX to offer satellite Internet services commercially in Brazil in 2022.

Musk presents himself as a defender of free speech, but his record suggests otherwise. Under his direction, X removed content critical of ruling parties in Türkiye and India at the government’s insistence. X accepted more than 80% of government takedown requests in 2023 compared to a comparable period a year earlier, according to an analysis by tech news site Rest of World.

X faces increased competition in Brazil from social apps such as Meta-owned Threads and Bluesky, which have attracted users during its suspension.

Starlink also faces competition in Brazil from eSpace, a Franco-American company that obtained permission this year from the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to provide satellite Internet services in the country.

Lukas Darien, a lawyer and law professor at Brazil’s Facex University Center, told CNBC that the STF’s enforcement actions against X will likely change the way big tech companies view the court.

“There is no change in the law here,” Darién wrote in a message. “But specifically, big tech companies are now aware that the laws will apply regardless of the size of a company and the extent of its reach in the country.”

Musk and X representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

On Thursday evening, X Global Government Affairs released the following statement:

“X is committed to protecting freedom of expression within the limits of the law and we recognize and respect the sovereignty of the countries in which we operate. We believe that the people of Brazil’s access to X is essential to a thriving democracy, and we “We will continue to defend freedom of expression and due process of law through legal processes.”

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