Social media platform X may soon resume operations in Brazil after paying a fine, appointing new legal representatives and blocking certain user accounts in compliance with a court order, Cointelegraph reported.
Brazilian authorities may soon lift a ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, after the company paid a fine of 28.6 million Brazilian reais (about $5.5 million).
According to local media reports, X met the latest requirements needed to be back online on October 7. In late August, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court suspended X for failing to comply with an order related to an investigation into the spread of false information in the country.
The final payment was confirmed after a series of unusual events. On October 4, the funds related to the fine imposed by Judge Alexandre de Moraes for irregularities in the social network were mistakenly deposited into the wrong bank account. Last Monday, the payment from Musk's satellite company Starlink was transferred to the correct account.
The amount includes the original fine imposed for X’s lack of cooperation in the court investigation, as well as an additional 10 million Brazilian reals (about $1.9 million) for failing to comply with the suspension order. Some users were accidentally allowed to access the platform in September after switching to Cloudflare’s servers.
In the previous days, X also appointed a new legal representative in the country in accordance with local regulations and blocked user accounts accused of spreading fake news and false information regarding Brazil's electoral process and judicial system.
The platform’s reinstatement in the country now depends on Brazil’s Attorney General, who will recommend whether to lift the suspension of X. If X’s reinstatement is granted, Judge Moraes will review the case again and make a decision.
Judge Moraes has been investigating X since 2023 for allegedly promoting and supporting the spread of false information in Brazil. Musk is also under investigation for charges including obstruction of justice, participation in a criminal organization and incitement to commit a crime.
The billionaire has publicly criticized Moraes' actions, calling them politically motivated censorship. He accused the judge of acting like a "dictator" by targeting political opponents through what he claimed were illegal content moderation requests.