Brazil’s Supreme Court lifts ban on social media site X

Brazil’s Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it was lifting a ban on X, after the social media site owned by billionaire Elon Musk had been blocked in its biggest Latin American market for over a month amid a row over disinformation.

“I authorize the immediate return of the activities” of the social platform, Judge Alexandre de Moraes said in his ruling, after X settled millions of dollars in fines for breaching court orders relating to the fight against misinformation.

In late August, Moraes ordered that X be suspended after Musk refused to name a legal representative in Brazil.

Moraes and Musk had been feuding for months over allegations X engaged in obstruction, criminal organization and incitement, namely over allegations that X was supporting a network of people known as digital militias who allegedly spread defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices.

Market research group Emarketer says some 40 million Brazilians, roughly one-fifth of the population, access X at least once per month.

This is a developing story and will be updated.