Elon Musk’s confrontation with Brazilian authorities has reached a fever pitch. Now Starlink, his satellite internet service, has refused to comply with orders to block X, the Musk-owned social media company, in the country.
To recap, Brazil, with its user base for X — estimated at around 40 million active users — faces a considerable impact from the platform’s suspension, since the blockade disrupts access for millions of Brazilian users. Now, the latest chapter in the saga involves Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service. Starlink, which serves approximately 250,000 customers in Brazil, has reportedly informed the country’s telecom regulator, Anatel, that it will not comply with the order to block access to X until its frozen assets have been released. This decision follows Anatel’s directive for all telecom providers in Brazil to shut down X, which has now been blocked from use within the country.
In response to Starlink’s non-compliance, Justice Alexandre de Moraes froze Starlink’s assets in the country in a move that seems to be intended to enforce compliance with court orders and to address over $3 million in fines imposed on X for non-compliance. Reports reveal that Anatel can seize Starlink’s existing equipment at the ground stations it has scattered across the country in case Brazil’s Supreme Court now decides to revoke Starlink’s license.
The conflict began when the Brazilian Supreme Court, led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, issued a series of orders targeting X. The court mandated the suspension of certain accounts on the platform, citing concerns over disinformation and hate speech. However, Musk’s response has been markedly defiant. He ignored the initial fines imposed for non-compliance and took further steps to obstruct Brazilian legal actions by terminating X employees in the country.
The situation escalated when the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered a nationwide block of X, a measure intended to force compliance with its legal directives. “When we attempted to defend ourselves in court, Judge de Moraes threatened our Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment. Even after she resigned, he froze all of her bank accounts. Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were either dismissed or ignored. Judge de Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unwilling or unable to stand up to him,” the company wrote before the platform was suspended in Brazil.
In a response, Musk suggested that Brazilians use virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the block, despite the looming threat of hefty fines for those who would attempt to evade the restriction. In return, the judge revealed that should any user use VPN to access the popular microblogging site, then they will be subject to daily fines of 50,000 reais. Meanwhile, the ban resulted in an exodus of X users to alternative platforms like BlueSky and Threads – BlueSky even recorded a record high in its usage in the country.
