X is back online in Brazil, but it’s still a defeat for Musk

The platform has paid off its fines, suspended accounts deemed to have broken Brazilian law, and appointed a legal representative in the country. A Brazilian Supreme Court justice lifted the suspension Tuesday evening on the social media platform X after the company met all of the court’s demands, ending a months-long dispute over the limits of freedom of expression in an era characterized by disinformation and polarization. The platform — which has paid off its fines, suspended accounts deemed to have broken Brazilian law and appointed a legal representative in the country — began coming back online within hours of the decision, reopening operations in one of its most active markets. The suspension order was a political defeat for the company’s owner, Elon Musk. The tech billionaire, who since his 2022 acquisition of the platform then known as Twitter has cast himself as a global champion of free speech, effectively called the bluff of the Brazilian judiciary system — and lost. (…) After months of mounting tension, during which the pair exchanged allegations and insults, Moraes suspended the platform in late August. Within weeks, it was clear that X — which was already losing Brazilian users to its competitors — needed Brazil a lot more than Brazil need X. The platform announced that it would cede to the court’s demands. On Tuesday evening, Moraes appeared to take a victory lap in his judicial order. The Brazilian “constitution does not permit for liberty of expression to be confused with a liberty to commit aggression,” he wrote. Nor does the “prohibition of hate speech and the incitation of antidemocratic acts” constitute “censure.” He framed his dispute with X as an ideological battle over the limits of freedom of expression in a time when countries are grappling with how to respond to misinformation disseminated on social media. Given what Moraes described as a “new reality in which digital populist extremists can use social media to widely spread hate speech,” there needed to be an “absolute respect” for the rule of law.

via washington post: X is back online in Brazil, but it’s still a defeat for Musk

siehe auch: Elon Musk’s X is back in Brazil after its suspension, having complied with all judicial demands. The social media platform X began returning to Brazil on Wednesday, after remaining inaccessible for more than a month due to a clash between its owner, Elon Musk, and a justice on the country’s highest court. Internet service providers began restoring access to the platform after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized lifting X’s suspension on Tuesday. “TWITTER IS ALIVE,” Lucas dos Santos Consoli, known as luscas on X, wrote on the platform to his more than 7 million followers. “I’m happy that the platform decided to follow the laws of Brazil and finally adapted, after all I’ve been using the app for almost 15 years so I can’t deny that I was missing it,” the 31-year-old told The Associated Press. De Moraes ordered the shutdown of X on Aug. 30 after a monthslong dispute with Musk over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. Musk had disparaged de Moraes, calling him an authoritarian and a censor, although his rulings, including X’s nationwide suspension, were repeatedly upheld by his peers. Musk’s company ultimately complied with all of de Moraes’ demands. They included blocking certain accounts from the platform, paying outstanding fines and naming a legal representative. Failure to do the latter had triggered the suspension.