RIO DE JANEIRO — The social media platform X has resumed operations in Brazil as of Wednesday, marking its return after being inaccessible for over a month due to a conflict involving its owner, Elon Musk, and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
Access to the platform was reinstated by internet service providers after Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized the lifting of the suspension on Tuesday.
“TWITTER IS ALIVE,” exclaimed Lucas dos Santos Consoli, better known as luscas on X, to his more than 7 million followers. “I’m thrilled that the platform chose to comply with Brazilian laws and finally made the necessary adjustments. After nearly 15 years of using this app, I truly missed it,” the 31-year-old remarked.
The trouble began on August 30, when De Moraes ordered the suspension of X following a prolonged dispute regarding free speech, the presence of far-right accounts, and misinformation. Musk had publicly criticized De Moraes, labeling him an authoritarian and a censor; however, his decisions, including the suspension of X, were consistently upheld by other justices.
Ultimately, Musk’s company adhered to De Moraes’ conditions, which included restricting certain accounts, settling outstanding fines, and appointing a legal representative in Brazil. The failure to designate a local representative had led to the platform’s shutdown.
“This demonstrates to the global community that even the wealthiest individual is not above local laws and constitutions,” stated David Nemer, an expert in the anthropology of technology at the University of Virginia. He noted that this situation could serve as a precedent for how other nations, like Australia, might approach any issues with Musk in the future.
Brazil, home to a digital-savvy population of approximately 213 million, is one of X’s largest markets, with user estimates ranging from 20 million to 40 million.
“X is proud to reestablish its presence in Brazil,” the company stated via its Global Government Affairs account. “It was essential to ensure that tens of millions of Brazilians could access our important platform during this entire ordeal. We remain committed to defending freedom of expression, respecting the law in every region we operate.”
Julia Bahri, an 18-year-old law student, expressed her joy over X’s return, stating that losing access had led to one of the most desperate situations she had felt recently. She shared that she relied on X for news updates and self-expression, especially since platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are primarily for photo sharing.
The suspension occurred shortly after X announced it would be eliminating its remaining staff in Brazil. The platform reported that De Moraes had warned of possible arrest for its legal representative in Brazil, Rachel de Oliveira Villa Nova Conceição, if compliance with account-blocking orders was not met.
Brazilian regulations require foreign firms to have a local legal representative to promptly receive court notifications and take necessary actions, such as account removals, which was essential in X’s case.
Sleeping Giants Brazil, an activist organization focused on combating misinformation and hate speech, labeled the restoration of X’s services in Brazil as “a notable victory for Brazilian democracy.” They emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant against any attempts to weaken democratic institutions and values.
Some users of X in Brazil have shifted to alternative platforms such as Meta’s Threads and Bluesky. The extent of their potential return to X is still uncertain.
Bluesky, which has gained popularity in Brazil, stated it now has 10.6 million users and continues to experience significant growth. The company has also appointed a legal representative in Brazil. Paul Frazee, a developer at Bluesky, humorously suggested, “Never get back with your eX” via the platform on Tuesday.
Experts noted that X’s return to Brazil has occurred with diminished power, as its value is now less than one-fifth of what it was when Musk acquired Twitter. Nemer pointed out that the platform has experienced a notable decline in users, particularly in Brazil.
Brazil is not the only nation to impose a ban on X; however, such extreme actions are typically seen in authoritarian regimes. The platform has faced restrictions in countries like Russia, China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan. Other nations, including Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt, have also briefly suspended access to X, generally to quell dissent.
The conflict between X and Brazil shares similarities with earlier challenges the platform faced from the Indian government when it was still known as Twitter. In 2021, India threatened legal action against Twitter employees for not following orders relating to the removal of posts about farmers’ protests.
Analysts believe Musk’s choice to reverse course in Brazil after openly criticizing De Moraes is not surprising. Matteo Ceurvels, a Latin America and Spain analyst from Emarketer, explained, “This was a pragmatic move, likely influenced by the economic consequences of losing access to millions of users in its third-largest global market and the resulting decline in advertising revenue.”
“While X may not be the top choice for advertisers in Brazil, the platform is reliant on their business far more than they are on it,” Ceurvels remarked.
