Starlink, the satellite company controlled by SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk, said it was complying with a Brazilian court order to block social media platform X in the country.
In a Sept. 3 X post, Starlink claimed that a court ruling suspending X in Brazil was “illegal,” explicitly targeting Alexandre de Moraes, one of the country’s Supreme Court justices. On Aug. 30, Moraes ordered X suspended in Brazil after Musk refused to name a legal representative for the firm’s operations in the country — a decision later upheld by a panel of five Justices.
“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,” said Starlink. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that [Moraes’] recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution.”
Source: Starlink
Related: ‘Absolutely nuts’ — Crypto community reacts to X suspension in Brazil
Starlink said it had already started legal proceedings opposing the court order that also froze its assets in Brazil.
The court order stemmed from an investigation spearheaded by Moraes into alleged misinformation propagated on X around former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. According to the justice, X could remain suspended in Brazil until the social media firm pays more than $3 million in fines.
Many X users criticized the decision on social media as an overreach of authority and an attempt to suppress Brazilians’ freedom of expression. Though many Brazil-based X users reported they could access the platform using virtual private networks (VPNs), Moraes’ order also imposed fines of up to 50,000 reais — roughly $8,900 at the time of publication — for circumventing the lockout.
Magazine: ‘Elon Musk at Bitcoin 2024’ scam, Lazarus Group hacks, MOG phishing: Crypto-Sec
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.