Brazil Lifts Ban on X After $5m Fine and Court Compliance

Brazil’s Supreme Court has lifted the ban on X, previously known as Twitter, after the platform paid a $5.1 million fine and complied with local regulations. Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted the platform’s return following X’s actions to remove accounts spreading misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian presidential election and appoint a local agent, as required by Brazilian law.

The platform, owned by Elon Musk, was initially banned after months of defying court orders to deactivate specific profiles linked to false information. Musk, a strong advocate for free speech, criticized the ban, calling it an overreach of power. Following the ruling, Brazil’s telecom authority, Anatel, has been instructed to restore service to over 20 million users within 24 hours.

X faced significant backlash when its Brazilian offices were closed in August, resulting in a rise in alternative platform usage and VPN demand. However, the platform has since complied with court orders, leading to the lifting of the ban.

Brazil is a key market for X, with an estimated 22 million users, making it one of the platform’s largest global user bases. Although the platform is now back online in Brazil and fully accessible to the Brazilians that previously used it, only time will tell if they actually flock back to X – or if the ban has shifted a large part of that market onto other platforms permanently.