Social networking service X (formerly Twitter), which was blocked locally for refusing to comply with a ruling by the Brazilian Supreme Court, has finally backed down.
On the 26th (local time), AP News and others reported that X, operated by American billionaire Elon Musk, submitted a document to the Brazilian Supreme Court proving compliance with the judicial order and requesting the lifting of the court's service suspension order.
In the related document, X attached materials confirming the appointment of legal representatives and the deactivation of nine accounts spreading fake news. Additionally, X submitted to the court a certificate confirming payment of a fine worth approximately 4.4 billion KRW imposed for non-compliance with the court order.
Previously, Justice Gilmar Mendes decided to delete certain X accounts and posts as part of Brazil's crackdown on fake news, but X resisted by delaying the appointment of legal representatives as stipulated by Brazilian regulations and did not comply. In response, the Brazilian Supreme Court issued orders including suspension of X's service, fines, and freezing of accounts related to Starlink, the satellite internet service of SpaceX, a space company affiliated with X. According to The New York Times, after the blocking of X, the flow of SNS usage in Brazil has shifted to BlueSky and Meta's Threads.
With a population of 210 million, the largest in South America, Brazil is considered one of X's important overseas markets. The number of X users in Brazil is estimated to exceed 20 million. Meanwhile, separately, the Brazilian Federal Police are investigating those who circumvented the court order to access X during the blocking period.
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