Brazil, home to more than 21 million users, suspended X after he failed to comply with court orders and pay fines.
Social media site
But Reuters reported on Friday that Brazil’s Supreme Court has yet to lift the suspension of the site, saying the fees were deposited into the wrong bank account.
“Deposit 28,600,000 Real [$5.24m] Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes said: “The accounts relating to this case have not been prepared accurately.”
The announcement was the latest hiccup in the ongoing dispute between X owner Elon Musk and the Brazilian government.
This morning, Company X submitted a request to resume operations in Brazil because it had paid the fine.
“X Brasil requests that the platform be unblocked so that users in the country can access it for free,” the submission states.
The site was suspended last August for failing to comply with court orders related to content moderation and domestic legal representation.
The incident has sparked debate about freedom of expression and what steps can be taken to prevent the spread of false claims online.
But the payment is the latest sign that X may be easing opposition to its requirements to operate in Brazil, one of the site’s biggest sources of users.
X had more than 21 million users in Brazil as of April, according to data firm Statista.
X was fined more than $5 million earlier this year for failing to comply with court orders.
The Supreme Court has asked social media companies to take action to restrict accounts linked to misinformation and far-right figures accused of undermining Brazil’s elections.
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Musk, who has embraced far-right politics, also called de Moraes an “evil dictator masquerading as a judge” after X was ordered to step up moderation on false claims on its site.
The billionaire businessman has previously intervened in Brazilian politics, expressing support for former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. He is another person who clashed with de Moraes over false election claims.
While Musk has portrayed himself as a champion of free speech, X has generally been more amenable to government requests to remove content since the billionaire purchased the social media site.
According to the report,
In recent weeks, X has made proposals to the Brazilian government to lift the suspension.
Last September, the site took steps to restrict access to a series of accounts linked to the misinformation and appoint legal representatives in those countries, requesting that user access be restored in return.
