Brazil Penalizes Social Media Site X for Disobeying Court Orders

Brazil has fined social networking company X $1.42 million for violating court rulings on the disclosure of user data and disinformation.

According to a decision released on Thursday, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered billionaire Elon Musk’s social media company X to pay a fine of 8.1 million reais ($1.42 million) for noncompliance with court orders.

The fine was imposed in response to a court order last year that required X to give the user’s registration information and delete a profile that was allegedly disseminating false material. A daily fine of 100,000 reais was imposed on X for noncompliance, and its local attorney was subject to possible criminal culpability.

The verdict by Justice Moraes called attention to X’s persistent failure to comply with the mandate to reveal the user’s data and required prompt payment of the accrued fee.

Brazilian legal counsel for X have refrained from commenting on the situation.

The platform came under more attention in Brazil in 2024 after being halted for more than a month. Due to X’s disregard for court orders pertaining to the moderation of hate speech and its refusal to comply with the legal obligation to designate a local representation in the nation, this action was taken.

With regard to misinformation and content moderation in particular, the verdict highlights Brazil’s stringent approach to policing digital platforms and guaranteeing adherence to domestic legislation.