Musk’s X Pays Millions in Brazil Fines To the Wrong Account

AFP/APP

Brasília: Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, paid millions of dollars in fines in Brazil to settle a legal dispute but mistakenly transferred the money to the wrong account, according to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

X was fined $5.2 million for failing to comply with several court orders, including the removal of disinformation accounts. Despite paying the full amount, the payment was sent to an incorrect account, Moraes revealed on Friday. The court has since ordered that the funds be immediately redirected to the correct account.

The dispute dates back to August 31, when Moraes blocked X in Brazil, its largest Latin American market, after the platform refused to remove right-wing accounts accused of spreading disinformation and failed to appoint a new legal representative in the country. At the time of the shutdown, X had 22 million users in Brazil.

X hopes that paying the fines will resolve the conflict, and last week the platform confirmed it had fulfilled other court demands, including appointing a legal representative in Brazil.

The standoff between Musk and Moraes has gained international attention, serving as a test case for balancing freedom of expression and the fight against disinformation.

Musk had previously criticized Moraes, calling him an “evil dictator” and comparing him to “Voldemort” from the “Harry Potter” series. However, Musk has been notably quieter on the subject recently as X attempts to resolve the issue.

In mid-September, X briefly resumed service in Brazil through what it called an “inadvertent” technical workaround, but the platform was quickly shut down again after Moraes threatened additional fines.

The legal clash between X and Moraes initially erupted during Brazil’s 2022 presidential election campaign when Moraes ordered the deactivation of accounts supporting far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

The situation escalated following attacks on federal buildings by Bolsonaro supporters after the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in January 2023.