It has been revealed that Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service will follow a Brazilian Supreme Court order that limits access to the social media site X in Brazil. The court put a lot of limits on Starlink, like freezing its assets, because X didn’t follow some rules. This decision comes after those restrictions.
Starlink recently said that the court’s decision was “illegal” and that it was Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ fault for making the order. As of August 30, Moraes shut down X in Brazil because Musk’s company couldn’t provide a formal representative for its business there. Later, a panel of the Supreme Court confirmed this ruling.
To our customers in Brazil (who may not be able to read this as a result of X being blocked by @alexandre):
— Starlink (@Starlink) September 3, 2024
The Starlink team is doing everything possible to keep you connected.
Following last week’s order from @alexandre that froze Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink…
Starlink said it was going to court to fight the court’s order, but it promised to block X access in Brazil if needed. The court’s move is linked to an investigation into claimed false information about former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. X could face fines of more than $3 million for not following the rules.
Many X users don’t agree with the court’s ruling because they think it goes too far and limits free speech. Some users have been able to get around the block by using virtual private networks (VPNs), but those who do so have been fined by the court.
The issue brings to light a larger conflict between Musk’s businesses and the Brazilian government. Musk has previously criticized the actions of the Brazilian government and threatened to take similar action against them. Legal and regulatory battles that are still going on show how hard it is for foreign businesses to deal with complicated national rules.
