Brazil suspends Starlink accounts amid dispute with Musk
Brazil’s highest court has directed that the accounts of Elon Musk’s Starlink be frozen amid a dispute concerning X, which may potentially be suspended in the nation. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The social media platform X, owned by South African billionaire Elon Musk, faces potential shutdown in Brazil as Starlink, Musk's satellite internet provider, has revealed that the country's top judge has ordered its financial accounts to be blocked amid ongoing tensions related to the platform.
On Thursday, Starlink announced it received a directive from Brazil's Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, that “freezes Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions” in Brazil.
This court action against Starlink follows the absence of legal representatives for X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil, as indicated by a source from the court speaking to Reuters.
De Moraes had previously issued an order on Wednesday, which urged Musk to appoint a new legal representative for X in Brazil within 24 hours or face the suspension of the platform in the country.
Musk responded critically to this situation, asserting that the social media platform is being penalized for resisting censorship. He, who took over Twitter in October 2022 and subsequently rebranded it as X, accused de Moraes of “improperly punishing other shareholders and the people of Brazil.”
“SpaceX and X are two completely different companies with different shareholders. I own about 40% of SpaceX, so this [is an] absolutely illegal action by the dictator,” Musk stated on his platform.
Starlink contended on X that de Moraes’ order was “issued in secret and without affording Starlink any of the due process of law guaranteed” by the Brazilian constitution.
“This order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied — unconstitutionally — against X,” Starlink declared.
Earlier this month, X announced its decision to cease operations and terminate its staff in Brazil, citing alleged “censorship orders” from de Moraes while maintaining service availability for Brazilian users.
In a previous ruling, de Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts purportedly belonging to “digital militias,” a term used for influential individuals linked to right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro.
These “digital militias” have been accused of disseminating defamatory claims and threats against members of Brazil’s Supreme Court.
X indicated that it anticipated de Moraes would soon mandate the platform's shutdown after the deadline passed on Thursday evening, as the company refused to comply with what it termed an illegal action “to censor his political opponents.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
On Thursday, Starlink announced it received a directive from Brazil's Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, that “freezes Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions” in Brazil.
This court action against Starlink follows the absence of legal representatives for X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil, as indicated by a source from the court speaking to Reuters.
De Moraes had previously issued an order on Wednesday, which urged Musk to appoint a new legal representative for X in Brazil within 24 hours or face the suspension of the platform in the country.
Musk responded critically to this situation, asserting that the social media platform is being penalized for resisting censorship. He, who took over Twitter in October 2022 and subsequently rebranded it as X, accused de Moraes of “improperly punishing other shareholders and the people of Brazil.”
“SpaceX and X are two completely different companies with different shareholders. I own about 40% of SpaceX, so this [is an] absolutely illegal action by the dictator,” Musk stated on his platform.
Starlink contended on X that de Moraes’ order was “issued in secret and without affording Starlink any of the due process of law guaranteed” by the Brazilian constitution.
“This order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied — unconstitutionally — against X,” Starlink declared.
Earlier this month, X announced its decision to cease operations and terminate its staff in Brazil, citing alleged “censorship orders” from de Moraes while maintaining service availability for Brazilian users.
In a previous ruling, de Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts purportedly belonging to “digital militias,” a term used for influential individuals linked to right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro.
These “digital militias” have been accused of disseminating defamatory claims and threats against members of Brazil’s Supreme Court.
X indicated that it anticipated de Moraes would soon mandate the platform's shutdown after the deadline passed on Thursday evening, as the company refused to comply with what it termed an illegal action “to censor his political opponents.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
