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LAST UPDATE | 5 Oct 2024
ELON MUSK’S X has paid millions of dollars in fines in Brazil to settle a row with a judge who banned the platform in its biggest Latin American market over disinformation.
But the platform transferred the money into the wrong account, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered the shutdown of X in August, said yesterday.
X, formerly known as Twitter, racked up $5.2 million in fines for failing to comply with a series of court orders.
Moraes confirmed that the social network had paid the full amount but into a different account from the one on the court order and said it had ordered that the funds be immediately redirected.
Moraes blocked X on 31 August after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading disinformation and failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered.
X, which had 22 million users in Brazil before Moraes blocked it, hopes that payment of the penalties will settle the dispute.
Last week it said it had complied with the court’s other demands, including the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil.
The clash between Musk and Moraes morphed into a high-stakes battle which was closely followed around the globe as a test of both freedom of expression and the fight against disinformation.
A furious Musk hit out at Moraes over the ban calling him an “evil dictator” and dubbing him “Voldemort” after the villain from the “Harry Potter” series.
But in recent days he had been notably more muted on the subject and X has appeared eager to do whatever necessary to have the ban lifted.
The platform had briefly resumed service in Brazil in mid-September after a technical workaround which it claimed was “inadvertent.”
But it went back offline again after Moraes threatened it with further fines.
X’s fight with Moraes began during Brazil’s 2022 presidential election campaign, when Moraes ordered the company to deactivate accounts of followers of failed far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
The standoff escalated following attacks by Bolsonaro supporters on federal buildings in Brasilia after the inauguration of Bolsonaro’s leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as president in January 2023.
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Roll on election time
@Ken Kennedy: It has barely rolled off.
@Ken Kennedy: . What will change.. nothing. No change after local and European elections. Seems those calling for change didn’t bother to vote.
Thankfully we are in safe hands :)
@Ken Kennedy: We need to talk about Eamon’s 9 unelected Special Advisors will they now be payed off with RTE type money.
@David Murray: They’ll probably move onto the next leader of the Greens.
@Ken Kennedy: do you honestly think you will get a new govt? FFG got 52% of support in the election two weeks ago. That’s enough for another 5 year term alone.
@Philip A Howlin: something WOULD change if Irish people weren’t complacent enough to think it’s fine that we haven’t had a change of power since COVID despite multiple scandals and the former Taoiseach running for the hills, only locals and it’s been FFG bar one occasion since the feckin war of independence
Chambers anyway, what an absolute weapon prior to coming ‘out’ …as an ambitious successor to his party leader who became Taoiseach by just wearing the electorate down
Fits the bill. Someone MM can push around. A yes man.
@Billy Hayes: All FF TD’S AND UNELECTED SENATORS ARE YES PEOPLE
THAT THE BERTIE KISSER CAN CONTROL A KIND OF A CULT.
@David Murray: clearly false
@David Murray: And yet theygot 23% in the last election and bertie is gone almost 20 years .
The present government will be returning perhaps without the Greens but some other party or independents.
@David Murray: David did you misspell cult
Chief whip during the pandemic, pushing through legislation that was unpopular with party members. Was a loud voice for a no vote in the abortion referendum. Always found him to be a strange fish.
And it took him 33 years before he came out to the constituency and the public as gay, and fair play to him but to take that long when he’s been in politics since his early 20s is a strong level of dishonesty
@9QRixo8H: Nobody’s business but his own. It’s called your ” Private Life” for a reason.
@Ger McDonnell: His private life is his own business, but one would have to ask why he chose to reveal his sexual orientation when it makes no difference to his constituents of whom I am one. Gay, straight or bisexual I personally don’t care but wouldn’t vote for him or his government colleagues because of their policies not their personalities.
Pox poor decision/ choice , though not much elsewhere . A great man for mouthing off with extremely backward thinking, anti woman, anti everything. And then announces himself to the world. Another God complex on offer
@uXGdMXx5: how is he anti women ?
It’s gone down the Jacks for FF
god help us
Now just need to get rid of the career failure, MM.
An email to media outlets would have sufficed, what a palava.
What has Chambers done to get this I wonder?????
@donal finn: He is a proper sycophant, that’s all the criteria you need.
Jesus wept
He’s young …”we’re cut from the same cloth,” comes to mind…
Cute move…. looking for a certain vote.
Mmmmm, why now four years after the last deputy leader??
Is the writing on the wall??
Election soon maybe very soon!!
Watched TV interview with him (Jack) a few years back and even then,his arrogance was dumbfounding for a so called politician !!!.Even since then his arrogance is just below the surface and only a scratch away !!!
There is something wrong with the justice when a person can’t face a jury ,
Another slot on the gravy train slurping up the inflated salary and expenses full training on how to waffle and show solidarity pure nonsense.
have your say