2024-10-05 13:07:07
The amount of fines imposed on the social network X (formerly Twitter) by the Supreme Court of Brazil was paid to the wrong entity. Before considering a reactivation of the platform in the country, the sum must be transferred to the correct account, Brazilian justice indicated on Friday.
In a brief document, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote that X had “submitted a request (…) informing that the fines imposed on him had been paid in full.” Subsequently, the investigating judge had a deposit of 28.6 million reais reported (approximately 4.8 million euros) made by X, i.e. the entire amount requested.
Because the sum was paid into an account other than the one designated by the courts, Alexandre de Moraes ordered the recipient entity to “immediately transfer” the money to the correct account, according to a record of his decision.
Judicial decisions not respected
On August 31, the Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered the suspension of the old Twitter to its approximately 22 million Brazilian users, accusing billionaire Elon Musk’s platform of failing to comply with legal decisions related to the fight against disinformation.
The platform became temporarily available again on September 18, thanks to a technical maneuver that allowed the block to be circumvented. X explained that this restoration of his service was an “unintended” effect of a server change. But Alexandre de Moraes refuted this argument and imposed new fines on X. The next day, the social network was again inaccessible in Brazil.
A clash between a judge and Elon Musk
Alexandre de Moraes, as powerful as he is divisive in Brazil, has been engaged in a standoff with Elon Musk for months, after ordering the deletion of the accounts of supporters of the far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro suspected of disinformation.
The billionaire had shouted about “censorship” and accused the magistrate of a “dictator”, even comparing him to Voldemort, the villain from the Harry Potter saga. But Elon Musk has been more discreet on the subject in recent days and X has shown himself willing to meet the requirements necessary for the suspension to be lifted.
The social network is committed to “protecting freedom of expression within the limits of the law” and respecting “the sovereignty of the countries” in which it operates, in a message recently published on its account dedicated to relations with governments.
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