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October 9, 2024 – 1:39 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) Brazilians will once again be able to use the social network X. The suspension imposed by a Supreme Court judge at the end of August in the name of the fight against disinformation was lifted on Tuesday.
“I order the lifting of the suspension and I authorize the immediate resumption of the activities of X on the national territory”, we can read in the judgment signed by judge Alexandre de Moraes.
Mr. Moraes authorized the reactivation of Elon Musk’s platform in Latin America’s largest country, considering that all legal requirements had been met.
Among these, the payment of fines totaling 28.6 million reais (around 4.6 million francs) and the deletion of accounts suspected of disseminating false information. The former Twitter also had to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil.
“X is proud to return to Brazil (…) We will continue to defend freedom of expression, within the limits of the law, wherever we operate,” the platform said on its X account dedicated to global government affairs.
Mr. Moraes gave the telecommunications regulatory agency, Anatel, 24 hours to restore access to the platform used by 22 million Brazilians.
“Brazil is sovereign”
“Once we have received the instructions” from Anatel, (Abrint).
Elon Musk announced the closure of X’s Brazilian offices on August 17, while maintaining the platform in service.
Judge Moraes suspended the network on August 30, finding that X had ignored orders to block accounts suspected of disinformation, mostly linked to the Brazilian far right, and belonging to bloggers, entrepreneurs, journalists or former parliamentarians.
Since the purchase of Twitter by Mr. Musk – who renamed it Her detractors also accuse her of having become a spokesperson for the radical right.
“We showed the world that laws must be respected here, no matter who you are. Brazil is sovereign,” Communications Minister Juscelino Filho said in a statement released hours after the unblocking order.
Brazilian users, however, had access to the platform again on September 18, due to a technical maneuver which made it possible to circumvent the blockage.
X explained that this restoration of its service was an “unintentional” effect of a change of server.
But Judge Moraes refuted this argument and imposed new fines, finding that
The next day, the platform became inaccessible again in Brazil.
Since then, X has shown itself willing to fulfill the demands of the Supreme Court, burying the hatchet after several months of standoff between Elon Musk and Judge Moraes.
« Censure »
The billionaire had repeatedly accused the magistrate of “censorship”, calling him the “dictator” and comparing him to Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter saga.
Judge Moraes has long been inflexible, believing that X constituted a threat to democracy and promoted disinformation.
During the mandate of President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), Judge Moraes set himself up as a bulwark of democracy in the face of repeated attacks by the far-right leader and his supporters against institutions. He is also in charge of the most sensitive investigations targeting the former head of state, who for his part has continued to support Mr. Musk, crying “censorship”.
At the end of September, during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva affirmed that the State should “not allow itself to be intimidated by individuals, companies or digital platforms that believe themselves to be above the law.
Brazil is an ultra-connected country, with more than one smartphone per capita.
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