Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- The social network
A source close to the case told AFP on Friday that the fines have been paid.
The judge of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes ordered a verification of the payments. The social network has been disabled since August 31 in the most populous country in Latin America, especially accused of spreading false information.
Justice demanded that X deactivate accounts accused of misinforming and appoint a legal representative in Brazil.
In addition, it conditioned the platform’s return to the payment of fines amounting to 28.6 million reais (5.2 million dollars). “The information” from Brazilian media “that the fines were paid is correct,” said the source, who requested anonymity. In a brief decision, Moraes noted that “X Brazil presented a petition reporting that the fines imposed were paid in full” and ordered that a verification be carried out. According to local media, the company sent the STF a request to allow the reactivation of the social network in Brazil, where it had 22 million users before the suspension. X was fined for failing to comply with court orders and evading the suspension imposed by order of Moraes. On September 18, the social network was once again widely accessible in Brazil thanks to a technical maneuver that allowed it to bypass the blockade. The next day it stopped working again. The struggle dates back to Moraes’ orders to deactivate accounts of followers of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) before the 2022 presidential elections and after the riot against the seats of power in Brasilia in January 2023 in rejection of the inauguration of the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In April, Musk described Moraes’ decision as “censorship” and on August 17, the magnate announced the immediate closure of X’s operations in Brazil. After the suspension of the social network, Musk accused the judge of being an “evil dictator.” But in recent days the company began to comply with the requests of the Brazilian justice system to return to operation. X said he is “dedicated to protecting freedom of expression within the limits of the law” and that he respects “the sovereignty of the countries” where he operates.
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