Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, must settle over $5 million in outstanding fines before it can resume its services in the country. According to court documents, X must pay a total of 18.3 million reais ($3.4 million) in previously ordered fines, alongside a new penalty of 10 million reais ($1.8 million) related to a brief reactivation of the platform for select users last week.
Earlier this week, the Elon Musk-owned company informed the court that it had taken steps to halt the spread of misinformation and requested the lifting of a ban on its service. However, Judge Alexandre de Moraes rejected the request, emphasizing that X and its legal representative in Brazil must first address the pending fines.
The judge noted that the court could access already frozen funds from X and its satellite service Starlink, but only if Starlink withdrew its pending appeal against the fund’s blockage.
X has been suspended in Brazil since late August, a critical market for the platform, after failing to adhere to court orders regarding hate speech restrictions and appointing a local legal representative. Musk had previously criticized the court’s actions as censorship, labeling Judge Moraes a “dictator,” but shifted his stance last week, with X’s legal team indicating compliance with the court’s rulings. The company has not yet commented on the latest developments.
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