Starlink’s bank accounts in Brazil have been frozen as part of a growing legal dispute involving X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.
This action was taken by Brazil’s Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who has also indicated the potential shutdown of X in the country, and X has acknowledged that it expects to be shut down in Brazil “soon,”.
The dispute traces back to demands by Judge de Moraes, who has been at odds with Musk for several months. Moraes had ordered X to block certain accounts in Brazil, a directive the company did not comply with, leading to increased tensions. X has criticized these orders, referring to them as “censorship orders,” and as a result, it decided to close its operations in Brazil earlier this month, according to Reuters.
The recent decision to freeze Starlink’s accounts appears to be a tactic by Moraes to exert pressure on X.
Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Musk’s SpaceX, issued a statement on the X platform condemning the order. The company argued that the order was “based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied—unconstitutionally—against X.” Starlink further claimed that the order was issued in secrecy and violated Brazil’s legal principles by not providing the company with the due process of law guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. Starlink stated its intention to address the matter through legal means.
Moraes Demands Legal Representative or X Faces Shutdown
Judge Moraes has escalated his approach by threatening to shut down X in Brazil unless the company appoints a legal representative within the country. This demand has added another layer of urgency to the situation. On Wednesday, Moraes reiterated that X would face a shutdown if it failed to comply with this requirement. Following the passing of a set deadline, X stated on Thursday that it expects Moraes to proceed with an order to shut down its operations in Brazil.
In its defense, X clarified that it does not insist on other countries adopting the same free speech standards as those in the United States. However, the company emphasized that the core issue is Judge de Moraes’s insistence that X act against Brazilian laws. “The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that,” X declared in a statement issued in both English and Portuguese.
X also announced plans to release Moraes’ “illegal demands and all related court filings” in the coming days to bring more transparency to the matter.
Featured Image courtesy of Ismail Aslandag/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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