Tech Desk 
Sep 21, 2024
In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) has capitulated to the demands of Brazil's Supreme Court and has now rescinded some of its earlier resistance. Lawyers for the company filed a court document Friday (September 20), which stated that X had taken down the accounts found to be threatening Brazil's democracy and paid the fines.
The controversy began with an order from Brazil's supreme court demanding that X delete accounts of key right-wing commenters. Musk refused, branding the orders "illegal." He described the court's move as censorship and told them to get a warrant first.
The court responded by blocking X across Brazil and the company afterwards faced fines and penalties.
However, lawyers hired by Musk's company in Brazil clarified that X planned to "regularise the situation of the company in Brazil." Many users, among them right-wing pundit Paulo Figueiredo whose own X account was suspended, were shocked even by the move.
This is a very important victory for Brazil's Supreme Court and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had been the driving force behind efforts to control Internet speech.
Since 2019, the court has ordered the deletion of over 300 accounts based on what it considered a "clear threat" to democratic institutions in Brazil.
This turn of events by Musk demonstrates the troubles that companies in the tech industry encounter whenever they attempt to defy orders given to them by their respective governments.
Brazil is considered as a very important market for X. It has more than 20 million users. In this instance, new users did pour into rival platforms like Bluesky and Threads of Meta during the blackout.
The outcome demands the power politics between tech moguls and nation-states. The administration has always proven that it can enforce regulations, and companies like X have to adapt to such variations.
The experience of Musk in Brazil, India, and Turkey reflects the importance of complying with the rules and regulations of those areas.
