X Cleared to Resume Operations in Brazil

Brazil’s Supreme Court allowed X to go back online after Elon Musk agreed to remove certain user accounts and appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
X was briefly back online in September after switching to Cloudflare, which cost Musk nearly $2 million.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that Elon Musk's social media platform, X, can resume operations in the country, ending a months-long standoff. The decision comes after Musk agreed to comply with the court’s demands by removing specific user accounts and appointing a legal representative within Brazil, as initially reported by Bloomberg.

X faced restrictions for the past five weeks, during which Brazilian courts instructed internet service providers to block access to the platform. The dispute arose after X refused to take down certain accounts as ordered by the court and failed to provide a local legal representative to address the court’s requests. Musk, known for opposing what he perceives as censorship globally, accused Brazil’s Supreme Court of suppressing conservative voices. However, in response to the legal and financial pressure, Musk ultimately agreed to comply.

During this period, X briefly went back online in September by switching to Cloudflare as its cloud service provider. Cloudflare’s CEO noted that the platform’s evasion of the ban was purely coincidental. This workaround, however, resulted in Musk incurring an additional cost of nearly $2 million.

With the court’s approval and X’s compliance, the platform is now accessible again in Brazil, marking a resolution to the legal battle and reinstating the social media service for users in the country.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah