Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service has announced it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order to block access to Musk’s social media platform X in Brazil.
The Hill reports that Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has declared its intention to block access to Musk’s own social media platform, X, in Brazil. This decision comes in response to a recent order from Brazil’s Supreme Court, which mandated the suspension of X throughout the country due to an ongoing feud between Musk and Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes.
The conflict between Musk and de Moraes has been escalating for months, with tensions reaching a boiling point earlier this month when X closed its office in Brazil after the judge ordered the platform to remove certain posts. Failure to comply with the order would have resulted in a daily fine of $3,650 and an arrest decree against X’s representative in the country, Rachel Nova Conceicao.
Last week, de Moraes threatened to shut down X entirely in Brazil, prompting a strong reaction from Musk, who called the judge an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.” In response, de Moraes ordered the immediate suspension of X, directing internet service providers and app stores to block the platform within five days. The order also imposed daily fines of nearly $9,000 for those who use virtual private networks (VPNs) or other methods to access X.
Starlink, caught in the middle of this dispute, initially sought to fight what it called the “illegality” of the order to freeze its financial transactions. However, faced with the threat of sanctions from Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Anatel, the company ultimately decided to comply with the court’s ruling.
In a statement on X, Starlink wrote, “Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing of our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil. We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution.”
The decision to block X has drawn mixed reactions, with some legal experts questioning the grounds and enforcement of the court’s decision, while others suggest it may be an authoritarian move. The Brazilian Bar Association has announced its intention to request a Supreme Court review of the fines imposed on citizens using VPNs or other means to access X without due process.
Musk, for his part, has characterized the judge’s actions as an attack on free speech, alleging that the order was issued for a “political purpose.” This is not the first time X has faced restrictions in Brazil; in April, Musk initially challenged an order from de Moraes to block certain accounts but ultimately decided to comply with the ruling.
Read more at the Hill here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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