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Starlink, the satellite internet service owned and operated by SpaceX, said it would prevent social network X from continuing to operate in Brazil without the threat of losing its license. Elon Musk owns both companies.
Brazil’s Supreme Court blocked the company’s operations in the country after X blatantly defied court orders and failed to pay fines. X rejected a request to suspend an account that posted content aimed at damaging Brazil’s democratic institutions as the country prepares for municipal elections in October.
The Supreme Court order freezes Starlink’s financial assets in the country to ensure that X pays the fine. The country’s top judge, Alexandre De Moraes, found Musk’s two companies were working together.
One deletion request concerns the account of Senator do Val, who is under investigation for possible involvement in plotting a coup and undermining de Moraes. The social network also declined to appoint a legal representative in the country under federal regulations.
De Moraes’ critics say he has gone too far Control speech online and on social networks.
As CNBC previously reported, Starlink advertised on X, with Musk encouraging users to use his satellite internet service to access social networks.
SpaceX said it has about 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. Its competitors include Hughesnet, Viasat and Telebras.
The Starlink account on X issued the following statement referring to its decision and De Morais:
“For our customers in Brazil (they may not be able to read this due to X being blocked) @Alexander):
The Starlink team is doing everything they can to keep you connected. Following last week’s order @Alexander As a result of freezing Starlink’s finances and preventing Starlink from conducting financial transactions in Brazil, we immediately filed legal proceedings with the Brazilian Supreme Court to explain the serious illegality of the order and ask the court to unfreeze our assets.
Although Starlink froze our assets, we still complied with the order to block access to BrazilX. We will continue to pursue all legal avenues and others agree @AlexanderThe recent order violates the Brazilian constitution.
Before Starlink agreed to comply with the order to block X, Brazil’s telecoms regulator Anatel threatened the company with sanctions.
For months, Musk has been in an escalating public conflict with the current government of Brazil, a major U.S. non-NATO ally.
Musk has recently described De Morais as a “criminal,” compared him to villains from movies and books such as Darth Vader and Lord Voldemort, and has repeatedly called for his impeachment, insisting that DeMorais’ orders were comparable. for illegal review.
Musk praised Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro and promised revenge against de Moraes and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
For example, Musk wrote over the weekend, “Unless the Brazilian government returns illegally seized SpaceX property, we will also seek to reciprocate the seizure of government assets. Hopefully Lula likes commercial flying.”
In April, Musk wrote “How @Alexander De Moraes becomes Brazilian dictator? He had Lula on a leash.
After the court’s order was unanimously upheld by five judges, President Lula said in an interview with CNN Brazil that he hoped the controversy surrounding the suspension of X in Brazil would show the world that “it has no obligation to tolerate Musk’s behavior.” The right-wing free-for-all just because he has money,” according to a Portuguese-to-English translation The Guardian.
Under President Lula, Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama seizes Starlink terminals used by illegal miners in the Amazon rainforest
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