On Tuesday, Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk, announced that it would comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order mandating the blocking of access to the social media platform X.This decision followed an initial refusal to obey the directive, which was communicated to Brazil’s telecom regulator the day before.
The court order, issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, included a freeze on X’s accounts in Brazil, potentially to cover future fines. Although Starlink expressed concerns over what it called “unjust treatment” in the freezing of its assets, it ultimately decided to follow the order. Serving over 200,000 customers in Brazil, Starlink confirmed its compliance in a post on X.
This comes after Starlink informed Anatel, Brazil’s telecommunications authority, on Monday that it would not implement the court’s directive to block X. But by Tuesday, Starlink reversed this position, notifying the regulator that it would begin implementing the block within hours. Anatel later confirmed that X was indeed blocked.
Access to X has been restricted in Brazil since last week, following Justice Moraes’ order for all telecom providers to block the platform due to its absence of legal representation in the country. This decision was subsequently affirmed by a panel of Supreme Court justices.
Starlink, in a separate statement, explained that it had filed a lawsuit with Brazil’s Supreme Court, calling the order “grossly unlawful.” The company also revealed that its assets were frozen, prohibiting financial transactions in Brazil. Starlink indicated it would continue seeking legal recourse, arguing that the ruling conflicted with Brazil’s Constitution.
According to court documents, Starlink did not meet the deadline to appeal the account freeze, leaving the company’s next actions uncertain as of Tuesday
The case surrounding X traces back to an earlier order from Justice Moraes, targeting accounts allegedly involved in spreading misinformation and hate speech. Musk, who closed Starlink’s Brazilian office in mid-August, condemned the order as censorship. Still, X had remained accessible until Moraes’ recent shutdown directive.
Despite the restrictions, some users in Brazil continue accessing X through VPNs and other workarounds.
(© Thomson Reuters 2024)
