Brazil: Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld its suspension of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, despite attempts by the company to pay overdue fines. X’s payment of $5.24 million (28.6 million reais) was deposited into the false bank account, delaying X’s return in the country.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes illustrated that the fee was not rightly made in the account linked to the ongoing proceedings. X, owned by Elon Musk, had filed a request earlier in the day to have its services reinstated, citing its settlement of fines.
The platform was discontinued in August after failing to comply with court orders regarding content moderation and the appointment of legal representation in Brazil. This situation has prompted debates over free speech and the measures demanded to control the spread of false information online.
X faces fines of over $5 million due to its non-compliance with these court orders, including failing to deny accounts associated with misinformation and far-right figures accused of undermining Brazil’s elections. The platform also did not set a local legal representative, a legal responsibility for foreign companies operating in Brazil.
Elon Musk initially blamed the suspension, labelling it as censorship and attacking Justice de Moraes, who he called “an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.” Musk has aligned with far-right politics in Brazil, showing support for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has also conflicted with the Brazilian judiciary over false election claims.
Despite Musk’s free speech stance, reports show that X has become more collaborative with government requests to remove content under Musk’s ownership. According to data, X conceded with nearly 99 percent of content removal requests from countries like Turkey and India in the first six months of Musk’s ownership, boosting concerns over the potential suppression of conflict.
In recent weeks, X has taken steps to relieve tensions with the Brazilian government, restricting access to statements associated with misinformation and moving to appoint local legal representatives. These moves are seen as part of X’s effort to have its suspension lifted and restore access to its more than 21 million users in Brazil. However, the platform’s operations remain blocked pending further legal resolution.
MOST READ | IAMTN Summit 2024 to explore future of cross-border payments
