Brazil Supreme Court lifts ban on X

Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Court lifted the ban on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday. The platform has been blocked in Brazil since August 31, following X’s defiance of court rulings and its abrupt closure of offices in the country, apparently to avoid sanctions.

In his new ruling, Justice Moraes noted that X has paid all outstanding fines and appointed proper legal representation in the country, allowing the ban to be revoked.

X and its controversial owner, billionaire Elon Musk, have been at war with Justice Moraes — who, as rapporteur of several investigations into online disinformation networks, has repeatedly ordered X to remove illegal content and ban users spreading harmful information. 

These decisions often have controversial legal grounds. Because of them, Mr. Musk has openly criticized Justice Moraes, calling him a dictator and accusing him of censorship — adding that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the justice’s “lapdog.” In various online posts Mr. Musk has compared the justice to fictional villains such as Voldemort, of the Harry Potter franchise, and a Sith Lord from Star Wars.

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