On Saturday, Brazil’s Supreme Court requested that X, present documents validating its new legal representative in the country. X is the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. This is a key requirement for the platform to resume operations in Brazil. It was shut down in late August for failing to comply with court orders regarding hate speech moderation.
X’s lawyers announced that the platform had appointed Rachel de Oliveira Conceição as its legal representative in Brazil. The court has given X five days to provide documents confirming this appointment.
The shutdown followed a months-long dispute between Musk and the court. X had previously refused to comply with demands to block accounts under investigation for hate speech and misinformation, which Musk called censorship. Additionally, the platform faced fines exceeding $3 million.
Brazilian law mandates that foreign companies must have a legal representative to operate in the country. This representative is responsible for handling legal matters locally. X had a legal representative until mid-August but decided to close its offices and fire its staff in Brazil, further complicating the situation.
X has now reversed its stance and stated it will comply with the court’s demands, including blocking specific accounts and paying the required fines. It is unclear which accounts X has been ordered to block, as the investigation remains confidential.
Despite the ban, X briefly became accessible in Brazil on Wednesday due to a network update bypassing the block.
