Brazil judge seizes $3 million from Musk to pay X fines

Brazil's Supreme Court said Friday that a judge has ordered the transfer of some $3 million from Elon Musk's companies to pay fines incurred by his social network X, which has been suspended in the country.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes last month ordered X shut down in Brazil after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts and then failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered.

A brief statement from the court said Moraes had "determined the transfer to state coffers of 18.35 million reais ($3.28 million) blocked in accounts" of X and the satellite internet firm Starlink, both owned by Musk.

Moraes has repeatedly clashed with the South African-born billionaire after making it his mission to crack down on disinformation.

He also froze the assets of X and Starlink, which has been operating in Brazil since 2022 -- especially in remote communities in the Amazon -- to ensure payment of fines imposed on X for its failure to follow court orders.

The social media platform formerly known as Twitter has more than 22 million users in Brazil.

Moraes also ordered that those using "technological subterfuges" such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the blocked site could be fined up to $9,000.

His measures have fueled debate on freedom of expression and the limits of social networks both inside and outside of the country.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the ban, while his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro called Moraes a "dictator."

Australia PM hits back at Musk after 'fascists' quip

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hit back at Elon Musk on Saturday after the tech mogul called his government "fascists" for proposing laws that would fine social media giants for spreading misinformation.

Australia introduced a "combating misinformation" bill earlier this week, which includes sweeping powers to fine tech giants up to five percent of their annual turnover for breaching online safety obligations.

"Fascists," Musk posted Thursday on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

But Albanese fired back at Musk on Saturday, saying social media "has a social responsibility".

"If Mr Musk doesn't understand that, that says more about him than it does about my government," he told reporters Saturday.

The exchange between Musk and Australian officials is the latest in a long-running spat with the Australian government over social media regulation.

Australia's government is exploring a raft of new measures that would see social media companies take greater accountability for the content on their platforms -- including a ban for those under 16 years old.

The country's online watchdog took Musk's company to court earlier this year, alleging it had failed to remove "extremely violent" videos that showed a Sydney preacher being stabbed.

But it abruptly dropped its attempt to force a global takedown order on X after Musk scored a legal victory in a preliminary hearing, a move he celebrated as a free speech triumph.

Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist", has clashed with politicians and digital rights groups worldwide, including in the European Union, which could decide within months to take action against X with possible fines.

In Brazil, where X has effectively been suspended after it ignored a series of court directives, Musk has responded by blasting the judge as an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge".