After the short message platform The online service has paid all outstanding fines amounting to around 28.6 million reais (4.77 million euros), the television station TV Globo reported, citing the company’s lawyers. This means that the conditions set by federal judge Alexandre de Moraes are met.
X had already applied for the lock to be lifted after the company appointed a legal representative for Brazil and blocked the profiles of nine users against which the Supreme Court (StF). In addition, a fine of 18.3 million reais (2.98 million euros) was collected from the bank accounts of Musk’s companies X and Starlink.
The Supreme Court had rejected this application on the grounds of further outstanding fines. This includes a payment of ten million reais (1.65 million euros), which was imposed because X did not respect the court-ordered shutdown for two days. In addition, the company’s appointed legal representative had to pay a fine of 300,000 reais (almost 50,000 euros). In the case of the fine that had already been collected, consent for the transfer was still missing.
X has been shut down in Brazil since the end of August
Federal judge Moraes ordered the shutdown of X in the South American country at the end of August. The news platform had previously allowed a court-imposed deadline to appoint a legal representative to pass. The company also refused to block the accounts of right-wing activists who spread conspiracy narratives and misinformation.
Musk, who has been a prominent supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump in the US election campaign for some time, always presents himself as a defender of free speech. He accused Moraes of an attack on freedom of expression and described him as an “evil dictator.” The federal judge had already initiated an investigation against Musk himself in April for obstruction of justice and incitement to crime.
