The platform appointed a legal representative in Brazil this weekend, responding to an injunction from the Brazilian authorities issued since last August.
X’s management appointed a legal representative in Brazil this weekend, while the social network bypassed the blocking decided by the Brazilian courts last week, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, and the mobile application was suspended again on Thursday. If this first step by Elon Musk’s platform meets the request of the Brazilian courts, other steps remain to be taken before resuming service in the country.
According to Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes, X still has “ not duly completed » all the conditions to end the ban. He gave him five days to file additional documents and demanded a fine of at least R$5 million ($913,000) for violating the suspension order. On the latter point, X denies having acted intentionally, assuring that it was the consequence “ involuntary and temporary » of a change of network provider.
The suspension was welcomed by the Brazilian left behind President Lula, while the right-wing opposition and the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro denounced it as censorship, which they said was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court judge is locked in a standoff with the American billionaire over the fight against disinformation in Brazil. X’s suspension in August came after Musk refused to remove dozens of far-right accounts accused of spreading fake news, while also failing to appoint a new legal representative in the country of about 22 million users.
For Judge Moraes, X deliberately engaged in efforts “ malicious, illicit and persistent » to defy Brazilian justice. The suspension was welcomed by the Brazilian left behind President Lula, while the right-wing opposition and the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro denounced it as censorship, which they considered unconstitutional.
