*Brazilian supreme court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes has authorised the return of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to Brazil, lifting a suspension which he ordered on 30 August. The controversial decision to block X came after months of tensions between the social media giant and Brazil’s judiciary, which escalated to the point that X shuttered its office in Brazil in mid-August. De Moraes ordered X to appoint a legal representative in the country in late August, and its refusal to comply with this order led to the ban. However, X has since changed its stance and complied with De Moraes’ demands. It has appointed a legal representative, taken down the accounts of some Brazilian users under investigation for spreading disinformation, and paid outstanding fines. Yesterday De Moraes ordered the national telecommunications agency (Anatel) to take the necessary steps within 24 hours to bring X back online. While X was suspended, many of its users in Brazil moved to rival social media platforms such as Bluesky and Threads. Now that X’s suspension has been lifted, it remains to be seen how many users will return to the platform and how many will continue to use other platforms.
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