Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite internet service Starlink said on Tuesday it would block Musk's social media platform X in Brazil, following a recent order by the country's Supreme Court to block the platform in the South American country.
“The Starlink team is committed to keeping you connected,” the company said. I wrote to X Tuesday.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the freezing of Starlink's financial transactions, prompting the company to launch legal proceedings to challenge the “illegality” of the order.
“Despite Starlink's unlawful treatment of freezing its assets, we will comply with the order blocking access to X in Brazil,” the company wrote. “We will continue to pursue all legal options, as will any other company that agrees.” Alexandre“'s recent decree violates the Brazilian Constitution.”
According to court documents, Starlink missed the deadline to file a new appeal against the order freezing the accounts. Reuters reported..
Before Starlink agreed to comply with the order, Brazil's telecommunications regulator Anatel had threatened sanctions against the company. CNBC reported.
The order to freeze Starlink's assets came as part of a larger order from De Moraes to block access to X amid an ongoing feud with Musk, who bought the platform in 2022.
The months-long feud between Musk and de Moraes escalated earlier this month when X closed its Brazilian office after a judge ordered it to remove posts from the site. The judge said he would fine representative Rachel Nova Conceição $3,650 a day and issue an arrest warrant if X failed to comply.
Tensions came to a head last week when Mr De Moraes threatened to shut down the social media platforms of the country's billionaire, with Mr Musk hitting back, calling Mr De Moraes an “evil dictator dressed as a judge”.
The next day, Governor de Moraes ordered the immediate suspension of X across Brazil on Friday after X refused to appoint new legal representatives. He ordered internet service providers and app stores to block X in Brazil within five days and to impose fines of 50,000 reais (approximately $9,000) per day on anyone who accesses X using a virtual private network (VPN) or other methods.
The order will remain in effect until the company complies with all court orders and pays all penalties.said last week.
Musk was quick to cast this as an attack on free speech, and the judge's order “Political objectives”
According to the Associated Press, some legal experts have questioned the rationale and enforcement of the decision, while others have described it as an arbitrary move.
According to the Associated Press, the Brazilian Bar Association announced last Friday that it would ask the Supreme Court to review the fines imposed on all citizens who accessed X without due process using VPNs and other means. The Bar Association argued that no sanctions should be imposed until an adversarial process can be ensured, the AP added.
Musk had previously vowed to challenge De Moraes' April order for the platform to block certain accounts in the country and reverse the restrictions, but said X would ultimately comply with the ruling.
