3 min read Last updated: September 28, 2024 | 7:33 AM IST
Written by Daniel Carvalho
Elon Musk must pay an additional 10.3 million reais ($1.9 million) to reinstate social media platform X in Brazil, according to a Supreme Court filing on Friday.
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The fine was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes as punishment for access gained through Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink and others since his Aug. 30 ban. .
“Therefore, if X Brazil fails to comply with the court order for two days, the company must collect a fine of R$10 million so that it can immediately return to its activities in the country,” Moraes said in the filing. I mentioned it inside. . According to the court, the company’s legal representative in Brazil, Rachel de Oliveira Vila Nova Conceição, must pay 300,000 reais.
Moraes said X’s immediate return “depends only on full compliance with Brazilian law and absolute observance of court orders regarding national sovereignty.”
In early September, Brazil withdrew R$18.35 million from X and Starlink’s local bank accounts to pay fines imposed by the Supreme Court. Moraes had blocked Starlink’s account in order to force the technology company to settle fines imposed for ignoring previous orders.
The company, formerly known as Twitter, informed the court that it had blocked nine accounts allegedly involved in spreading hate speech and fake news, in accordance with an earlier order.
In April, Mr. Musk pledged to defy an order from Mr. Moraes, who is spearheading a judicial campaign against hate speech and fake news, to suspend certain accounts in the country. The world’s richest man accused a judge of censorship, while Moraes launched a criminal investigation against Musk, accusing him of spreading disinformation. Last week, Musk decided to backtrack and comply with the court order.
Days before the surrender, users in Brazil suddenly gained access to the platform after an automatic update switched the way traffic was directed, the country’s Internet Providers Association said.
Mr. Moraes ordered X to restore the blocks on the site on September 19 for “failure to comply” with the court or face a fine of R$5 million per day. A spokesperson for Company X said late on September 18 that a change in network provider after the ban resulted in “an inadvertent and temporary service restoration for users in Brazil.” Brazil’s telecommunications watchdog notified the court via Starlink on September 23 that X had once again ignored the order.
A Brazilian law firm hired by Mr. X declined to comment on Mr. Moraes’ new order.
First publication date: September 28, 2024 | 7:33 AM IST