Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban


RIO DE JANEIRO — Elon Musk's social media platform X, which was banned in Brazil for 40 days in a legal tussle over disinformation, was available again in Latin America's biggest country on Wednesday.

The site was accessible from inside Brazil, also the largest Latin American market for X, a day after the Supreme Court lifted its suspension.

Users reacted enthusiastically to its return with the hashtag "#voltou" (I'm back) trending in Brazil.

The network also welcomed the decision.

"X is proud to return to Brazil," it said on its global government affairs account, adding that it would "continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate."

Musk himself had yet to publicly react.

The reactivation appeared to be taking place sporadically, with some users still failing to connect to X.

Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel explained that the delays experienced by some were due to the workings of their internet providers.

X had 22 million users in Brazil before it was blocked on August 30 by supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes for failing to comply with a series of court orders aimed at combatting disinformation.

Moraes authorised it to resume activities on Tuesday after X paid millions of dollars in fines.

The company also eventually complied with his other demands, including that it deactivate the accounts of several supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro who were accused of spreading disinformation and that it appoint a legal representative in Brazil.

'Brazil is sovereign' 

Communications Minister Juscelino Filho called the outcome a "triumph" for Brazil.

"We have shown the world that here you have to respect the law, whoever you are. Brazil is sovereign," he said in a statement.

The showdown between the powerful judge and Musk -- the world's richest man, who has been accused of allowing hate speech and disinformation to proliferate on the site formerly known as Twitter -- was closely watched around the world.

Musk had lashed out at Moraes over the ban, calling him an "evil dictator" and dubbing him "Voldemort," after the villain from the "Harry Potter" series.