Social media site X tries to pay fine as it tries to resume services in Brazil

Brazil, where it has more than 21 million users, suspended X after it failed to comply with court orders and pay fines.

Social networking site X, formerly known as Twitter, has been trying to pay fines owed to the Brazilian government in an attempt to resume services in the country.

However, Reuters news agency reported on Friday that Brazil’s Supreme Court has not yet lifted the site’s suspension, saying the fees were paid to the wrong bank account.

“The payment of 28,600,000 reais ($5.24 million) was not properly deposited into the account associated with these proceedings,” Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said.

The statement was another setback in the ongoing dispute between X owner Elon Musk and the Brazilian government.

Earlier in the day, X had filed an application to resume operations in Brazil, citing payment of the fines.

“X Brasil requests the unblocking of the platform to allow its users free access within the country,” we read in the submitted document.

The site was suspended in August after it failed to comply with court orders regarding content moderation and legal representation at the national level.

The case has sparked debate about freedom of speech and steps that can be taken to tackle the spread of false claims online.

But the payment is the latest sign that X may be softening its opposition to requirements to do business in Brazil, one of the site’s largest sources of users.

Data firm Statista says X had more than 21 million users in Brazil as of April.

X was fined more than $5 million for failing to comply with court orders earlier this year.

The Supreme Court has asked a social media company to take action to restrict accounts linked to disinformation and far-right activists accused of rigging election results in Brazil.

It was also found that X had failed to appoint a legal representative in the country, which is a requirement for companies based abroad.

Initially, Musk and X appeared ready to oppose the suspension, denouncing it as censorship and accusing de Moraes of issuing “illegal orders.”

Musk, who favors far-right politics, also called de Moraes an “evil dictator masquerading as a judge” after X was ordered to increase the moderation of false claims on his site.

The billionaire entrepreneur has previously spoken out on Brazilian politics, expressing support for former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro – another person who has fallen out with de Moraes over false election claims.

While Musk has positioned himself as a champion of free speech, X has generally become more sympathetic to government takedown requests since the billionaire bought the social media site.

Reports show that X has met almost 99 percent of requests from countries like Turkey and India in Musk’s first six months of ownership, raising concerns that governments may be silencing their critics on the platform.

In recent weeks, X asked the Brazilian government to lift the suspension.

In September, the site restricted access to a number of accounts linked to disinformation and took steps to appoint legal representatives in the country, asking instead for users’ access to be restored.