Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink has publicly defied a Brazilian court order to block access to social media platform X in the country, further escalating an ongoing dispute between the billionaire and Brazilian authorities.
of The New York Times Reports The battle between Elon Musk and the Brazilian government has reached a new stage: Starlink, the satellite internet service Musk controls through SpaceX, has notified Brazilian telecommunications company Anatel that it will not comply with orders to block access to the social media platform X. The defiance comes amid a series of court orders and fines aimed at curbing what Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes sees as the spread of disinformation and hate speech on the platform.
Starlink's refusal to block X is the latest development in a months-long dispute between Musk and Judge Moraes, who has led a censorship campaign to clean up Brazil's internet, including ordering social networks to suspend accounts he believes are spreading misinformation, hate speech and threats to democracy. Many of those orders have targeted right-wing figures, making Moraes a prime foe of former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters.
The dispute escalated when X began ignoring Judge Moraes' orders to block certain accounts. In response, the judge threatened to arrest X's legal representatives in Brazil, and Musk withdrew the company's team from the country. Judge Moraes on Friday ordered Anatel to block X nationwide because the company has no physical presence in Brazil, and warned that individuals who use virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around the blackout and access X could be fined nearly $9,000, more than the average annual salary of a Brazilian.
Satellite internet service has grown rapidly in Brazil since its introduction in 2022, especially in rural areas and the Amazon rainforest where traditional internet infrastructure is limited. Starlink has provided remote communities, including indigenous peoples, with high-speed internet connectivity for the first time, making a significant impact on their lives.
But the ongoing dispute has raised questions about the future of Starlink's operations in Brazil. Anatel President Carlos Baigorri has said authorities could revoke Starlink's license to operate in Brazil, which would theoretically prevent the company from connecting to Brazilian customers. If Starlink continues to operate without a license, Anatel could seize its equipment at 23 of its ground stations in Brazil, which help improve the quality of Starlink's internet connections.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
