Brazil on Friday (Sep 13) lifted bans imposed on Elon Musk’s X and Starlink after the companies paid a total of 18.35 million reais ($3.31 million) in fines to the Brazilian authorities.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes passed an order to lift the blockages, which had been imposed amidst a spat between the American billionaire and the Brazilian top court.

X was banned last month in the South American country, while Justice Moraes set a staggering $9,000 daily fine for anyone violating the ban using a VPN.

Musk’s social media platform remains immensely popular in Brazil, with over 22 million users. On the contrary, just one-sixth of that number are active on Instagram and one-fifth on Facebook or TikTok.

Feud between X and Moraes

X, owned by Musk, last month claimed its representative in Brazil was threatened by the Supreme Court judge with legal action if it did not comply with legal orders to take down some content.

“Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” X’s Global Government Affairs account posted. 

“As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately,” the statement added.

Earlier this year, Moraes ordered X to take down accounts accused of posting fake news and spreading hatred during the regime of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Musk called the order “unconstitutional,” and moved to unblock the previously-banned accounts. Following this, Moraes ordered an inquiry into the American billionaire.