Elon Musk’s X takes first step to comply with Brazilian judge

Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes said in a decision published on Saturday that X had not yet “adequately met” all the requirements to end the ban and gave him five days to submit additional documents.

The high-profile judge has been embroiled in a long feud with X’s owner, billionaire Elon Musk, as part of his efforts to crack down on disinformation in Brazil.

X’s suspension last month came after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading fake news and then failed to appoint a new legal representative in the country as ordered.

The clash between the Brazilian court and the iconoclastic billionaire has turned into a high-stakes battle that tests the limits of both free speech and corporate responsibility in South America’s largest country.

The social media platform had more than 22 million users in Brazil before the ban.

Moraes also ordered X to pay a fine of at least five million reais ($913,000) for violating the suspension order on Thursday, when the platform became accessible again following a technical maneuver that effectively bypassed the government blockade.

X has denied that it willfully defied the ban, saying it was the “inadvertent and temporary” consequence of a change in network providers. Later it was offline again.

But Moraes said X intentionally engaged in “vicious, illicit and persistent” efforts to defy Brazilian justice.

In their ongoing confrontation, Musk accused Moraes of being an “evil dictator”, while the magistrate insisted that X cannot be allowed to spread misinformation that could endanger democracy.

The suspension was applauded by Brazil’s political left behind President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while the right-wing opposition and former president Jair Bolsonaro accused it of unconstitutional censorship.

Moraes also froze the assets of X and Musk’s satellite internet operator Starlink – which has been operating in Brazil since 2022, mainly in remote communities in the Amazon – to ensure payment of fines imposed on the social network for violating court orders.

Musk repeatedly hit out at Moraes in social media posts, calling him an “evil dictator” and calling him “Voldemort” after the villain from the “Harry Potter” series.