Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) mandated the transfer of R$18,350,000 to the national treasury from funds previously frozen in the bank accounts of X (formerly Twitter) and Starlink. This decision, signed on September 11, 2024, was made public on Friday.
X faced fines for failing to comply with STF’s orders to remove certain users from its platform and for withdrawing its legal representatives in Brazil, which led to the suspension of its operations in the country. Justice Moraes ordered the freezing of X and Starlink’s accounts to ensure compliance with imposed penalties.
Earlier this year, Moraes instructed X to remove certain accounts as part of an ongoing investigation into “digital militias” spreading fake news and hate speech during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. The company argued that the decision violated the Marco Civil da Internet and the Brazilian Federal Constitution. Furthermore, on August 30, Moraes ordered the suspension of X’s operations after it failed to appoint a local representative.
On September 12, banks Citibank S.A. and Itaú Unibanco S.A. notified the STF of their full compliance with the transfer orders. Following the payment, Moraes concluded that further freezing of the accounts, financial assets, vehicles, and real estate of the companies was unnecessary and directed their immediate unblocking. You can read more details on the case on JURIST.