Elon Musk’s satellite broadband company, Starlink, announced on Tuesday its compliance with a Supreme Court order from Brazil to block the social media platform X, reversing its previous stance communicated to Brazil’s telecom regulator Anatel. Initially, Starlink declared it would not comply with Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ directive to block X, leading to a freeze of Starlink’s assets to potentially cover fines owed by X, also owned by Musk.
Despite describing the asset freeze as “illegal,” Starlink confirmed it would adhere to the order to block X in Brazil, where it serves over 200,000 customers, according to a statement on X. On Monday, Anatel was informed by Starlink of its non-compliance, but by Tuesday, Starlink had notified Anatel of its intention to implement the block within hours, and began restricting access to X.
The block on X was initially mandated by Justice Moraes, requiring all telecom providers in Brazil to cease access to X for not having a legal representative in the country. This order was subsequently affirmed by a Supreme Court panel.
Starlink has also initiated legal actions in the Brazilian Supreme Court against the freezing of its assets, arguing the decision’s severe illegality and its impact on Starlink’s financial operations in Brazil. Moreover, Starlink emphasized its commitment to exploring all legal options against what it and supporters consider constitutional violations by recent judicial orders.
However, a court document revealed that Starlink missed the deadline to file a new appeal against the account freeze. The specifics of any future legal actions Starlink might undertake to challenge the asset freeze remain uncertain.
The controversy surrounding X dates back to earlier orders by Moraes that demanded the platform block accounts involved in spreading misinformation and hate speech. Musk criticized these demands as acts of censorship, leading to the closure of his company’s offices in Brazil in mid-August, although X remained accessible until its recent shutdown by Moraes. Despite the official block, some users in Brazil continue accessing X via VPN and other methods.
