X Is Back in Brazil
WiredOCT 2024
Brazil Lifts Ban on X
Above: X page of Elon Musk seen displayed on a smartphone with a flag of Brazil in the background on Sept. 23, 2024. Image copyright: Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Elon Musk and his social media platform eventually caved into Brazil's demands and paid the fines, allowing users to go online again. The US First Amendment is not universal, and foreign governments are increasingly considering stricter regulations for online speech. Musk just learned that if he wants to do business abroad, he must abide by their rules.
Narrative B
The US First Amendment indeed doesn't protect free speech abroad, but the right to freedom of expression — including to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of borders, is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. X was censored for political reasons — and this is all but protecting democracy.