Musk abides by Brazilian judge orders, appoints X legal representative
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Musk complied with the Brazilian Supreme Court's demands by appointing a legal representative, paying outstanding fines, and removing users from the platform deemed a threat to Brazil's democracy.
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Elon Musk speaks at a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. (AFP)
Elon Musk has ended his months-long fight with the Brazilian Supreme Court, abiding by court orders to resume operations of his social media platform X in the country.
The tech entrepreneur complied with the Supreme Court's main demands by appointing a legal representative in Brazil, paying outstanding fines, and removing users from the platform deemed a threat to the country's democracy, the New York Times reported.
Although X has adhered to the Supreme Court's requests, the platform has not filed proper documentation showing the appointment of Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao as the country's representative, according to the court, which gave the company five days to present the required documents validating her appointment.
Musk's battle with court
The billionaire had been battling with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes since April after ordering X to take down over 100 far-right accounts loyal to former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Last month, Musk closed X's offices in Brazil after refusing to appoint a legal representative to allow the platform to continue its operations. Moraes responded by ordering the country's mobile and internet service providers to block access to X and imposing fines on the company for its willful conduct in supporting disinformation.
Musk has refused to comply with legal orders to remove posts and accounts in Brazil and Australia, claiming to be an advocate for free speech despite being less vocal about removing content from countries such as Turkey and India.
