The Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered X (formerly Twitter), owned by billionaire Elon Musk, to pay a fine of 8.1 million reais ($1.42 million) for failing to comply with judicial directives.
The ruling, issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, cites X’s noncompliance in removing a misinformation account and its refusal to provide user registration data as required by law.
Court’s Justification for the Fine
In a legal dispute from 2023, the court had ordered X to:
- Take down a user profile spreading misinformation
- Provide user data linked to the account
X’s failure to follow these directives resulted in a daily fine of 100,000 reais, accumulating to the $1.4 million penalty now imposed.
X’s Legal Troubles in Brazil
In 2024, X was temporarily suspended for over a month in Brazil due to:
- Noncompliance with hate speech moderation laws
- Failure to appoint a legal representative in the country
These issues have intensified regulatory scrutiny of X’s operations in Latin America’s largest economy.
Musk’s Platform Remains Silent
X’s legal representatives in Brazil declined to comment on the ruling. However, this penalty adds to ongoing global challenges faced by Musk’s platform in balancing free speech policies with local regulations.
