Brazil’s Supreme Court has lifted the freeze on bank accounts linked to Elon Musk’s Starlink and the social media platform X after funds worth $18.35 million Brazilian reais (around $3.3 million) were transferred to the national treasury.
The fines are tied to a legal dispute involving X’s failure to comply with court orders to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech in Brazil. The Supreme Court had previously classified this content as threatening democracy, prompting legal actions against the platform.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes fined X for not appointing a local legal representative, as required by Brazilian law. Although the financial penalties have been addressed, X remains blocked in Brazil since Aug. 30.
The case has reached the country’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) over the past few days after the country’s Bar Association and a political party (Partido Novo) challenged the platform’s ban.
On Sept. 12, the PGR argued that suspending the social media platform does not violate free speech rights and stressed that the lawsuits against the ban lack legal grounds.
Related: Brazil’s top prosecutor defends X ban, urges Supreme Court to end disputes
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.