Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) has imposed a $1.42 million fine on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for failing to provide personal data on conservative journalist Allan Dos Santos. STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes levied the fine after the platform refused to comply with a court order demanding user information as part of an investigation into alleged “anti-democratic digital militias.”
Dos Santos, a supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has lived in the United States since 2021 after de Moraes issued an arrest warrant and requested his extradition. That request was reportedly ignored by the U.S. government. De Moraes launched an investigation into Dos Santos in July, accusing him of spreading “fake news” and allegedly forging chat messages that implicated the justice in a plot to arrest Bolsonaro.
As part of the probe, de Moraes ordered X to block Dos Santos’ account and provide his registration data. While X complied with the censorship order, the platform did not provide the requested personal data, arguing that it does not collect such information and that the journalist has no technical connection to Brazil. In response, de Moraes issued the $1.42 million fine, ordering X to deposit the funds into a state bank account.
The fine follows previous conflicts between X owner Elon Musk and de Moraes. In April, Musk vowed to defy Brazil’s censorship orders, leading to a temporary nationwide ban of the platform in August. X ultimately complied after being hit with fines totaling $5.24 million.
Dos Santos responded defiantly to the latest ruling, mocking de Moraes and stating that if Brazilian authorities wanted to find him, they should search for the White House on Google Maps.
