X needs to pay a final fine before it can go back online in Brazil. This was decided by Alexandre de Moraes, Brazil’s top justice, on Friday.
The social network was suspended across the country at the end of August, and the decision was confirmed by a group of judges on September 2. Earlier this month, X told Brazil’s supreme court that it is now following the rules, which it had previously ignored.
Musk’s X Faces Fines and Legal Issues in Brazil
According to Brazil’s G1 Globo, X now has to pay an extra fine of 10 million reals (around $2 million) for two more days of not following the court’s orders. X’s legal representative in Brazil, Rachel de Oliveira, also has to pay a fine of 300,000 reals.
The case started in April when Alexandre de Moraes, a minister of Brazil’s supreme court (Supremo Tribunal Federal – STF), began investigating Musk and X for allegedly obstructing justice.
Musk had promised to ignore the court’s orders to remove certain accounts in Brazil. He called the court’s actions ‘censorship’ and criticized de Moraes online, calling him a ‘criminal’ and urging the U.S. to stop giving foreign aid to Brazil.
In mid-August, Musk shut down X’s offices in Brazil, leaving the company without a legal representative in the country, which is required by law for all tech companies to operate there.
On August 28, de Moraes’ court warned that X could face a ban and fines if it didn’t appoint a legal representative within 24 hours and didn’t comply with requests to remove accounts accused of doxxing or threatening federal agents, among other activities.
Earlier this month, the STF froze the assets of Musk’s companies in Brazil, including X and Starlink. The court stated that it considers SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, and X to be connected businesses.
Musk responded on X, saying, ‘Unless the Brazilian government returns the illegally seized property of SpaceX, we will pursue a reciprocal seizure of government assets as well.’
Conclusion
Musk’s X is dealing with major legal issues in Brazil, including fines and frozen assets for not following court orders. The company needs to pay large fines and hire a legal representative to restart its operations. This situation shows the ongoing conflict between Musk and Brazilian officials.
