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Brazi’s Supreme Court Thursday ordered Elon Musk’s X to suspend its access in the country or face a daily fine of over $900,000, after the social media platform briefly restored service despite a nationwide ban.
X suddenly went live in Brazil on Wednesday after an apparent update to its communications network that allowed it to use cloud services via third parties. But it went back offline again on Thursday.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes — who for months has clashed with Musk over X’s practices — said that a “recalcitrant” X had unlawfully, persistently and intentionally” failed to respect judicial orders.
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Earlier this year, de Moraes asked X to block certain accounts that were accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. A series of legal disputes followed until de Moraes issued an ultimatum, requiring X to appoint a legal representative before the court or face suspension.
Musk — who said de Moraes was attacking free speech — refused to do so, leading to the app’s ban three weeks ago. The Supreme Court also threatened Brazilian citizens with a $9,000 fine for using VPNs to access X.