X, the social network previously known as Twitter, may soon be back online in Brazil if it agrees to pay a new fine of 10 million reais ($1.9 million), as mandated by Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, as per reports by Reuters and other publications.
This comes in addition to an earlier fine of 18.3 million reais ($3.4 million), which prompted Brazilian authorities to freeze accounts associated with X and Elon Musk’s satellite company, Starlink.
The court’s order follows a lengthy legal battle over misinformation related to Brazil’s elections, with Moraes accusing certain X accounts of spreading false information.
Despite Musk’s vocal opposition to the court’s actions – even suggesting that Moraes should step down or face impeachment – X eventually shut down operations in Brazil, leading to its ban from the country at the end of August. This move fuelled a rise in popularity for rival platforms such as Bluesky.
In a recent shift, X agreed to comply with some of Brazil’s demands by blocking the contentious accounts, paying the fines, and appointing a legal representation within the country.
However, the company’s apparent circumvention of the ban earlier this month – reportedly due to a “coincidental” switch to Cloudflare infrastructure – has led Moraes to impose an additional fine.
X’s Global Government Affairs account appeared to acknowledge the company’s decision to comply, posting, “We recognize and respect the sovereignty of the countries in which we operate,” while emphasizing the importance of providing access to Brazilian users for “a thriving democracy.”
