Musk's X Hit With New $1.4 Million Fine in Brazil, Rumble Ordered to Appoint Representative

Brazil's Supreme Court has slapped X, Elon Musk's social media platform, with a fresh $1.4 million fine while ordering Rumble, another social media company, to establish a legal representative in Brazil, as reported by Bloomberg.

This latest development stems from an ongoing battle between X and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who previously suspended X's operations in Brazil last year due to concerns over hate speech and misinformation. The current fine, totaling 8.1 million reais, is levied because X failed to provide registration information of a Brazilian YouTuber who allegedly engaged in criminal activities, including threats against Supreme Court justices, on the platform.

According to court documents, X claimed last year that it "does not collect registration data," a claim that has led to the current financial penalty. Lawyers representing X in Brazil and the company's global press office have not yet responded to requests for comment.

The court has also issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Rumble, a US video-sharing platform, to appoint a legal representative in Brazil. This order follows a previous directive from Justice Moraes on February 9, where he ordered Rumble to block the same YouTuber's account and suspend payment transfers, under the threat of a daily 50,000 reais fine.

Rumble's Chairman and CEO, Chris Pavlovski, took to X to express his frustration, calling the latest order "illegal and secret" and questioning the court's authority. He also stated his intention to challenge the decision in court. Pavlovski later added a post in both English and Portuguese emphasizing his commitment to fighting for freedom of expression.

Rumble's press team has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The latest legal actions come amidst a broader context of ongoing legal battles between various parties involved. Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. filed a lawsuit against Alexandre de Moraes in Florida on Wednesday, accusing him of suppressing the online activity of conservative Brazilian voices. Rumble, which is also a plaintiff in this lawsuit, alleges that Moraes stifled free speech by ordering the removal of accounts belonging to former President Jair Bolsonaro supporters and critics of current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This development follows closely on the heels of another legal development in Brazil, where a top prosecutor filed federal charges against Bolsonaro, a close ally of former US President Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election.