X Ban In Brazil: Starlink Blocks Access To Elon Musk-Owned Social Media Platform In Compliance With Court Order

Initially, Starlink pushed back against the order issued by Brazil’s Supreme Court to block X in the nation but, now it has to comply.

Starlink, which serves over 250,000 customers in Brazil, faced the risk of having its operating license revoked if it did not block access to X.

Source : Unsplash/Mariia Shalabaieva

X has been facing quite a lot of heat in Brazil due to the orders of the authorities. Brazilian Supreme Court ordered a ban on X in the country till it follows the orders issued by the court. Elon Musk opposed it quite vocally through his tweets. But, it seems like the tech titan might be having a real bad week as Starlink, which is owned by him, also has to comply with the orders and block access to X in the country. 

Initially, Starlink pushed back against the order issued by Brazil’s Supreme Court to block X in the nation, but, now it has to comply. Starlink said, “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.”

To our customers in Brazil (who may not be able to read this as a result of X being blocked by @alexandre):

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 (@Starlink) September 3, 2024

What Went Down

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued a nationwide ban against X for not complying with the country’s laws. His ruling was further upheld by the country’s top court on Monday (September 2), and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also backed the ban.

In his verdict, Justice de Moreas instructed all internet service providers to block access to X within the country and mandated that Apple and Google remove the X app from their app stores within five days.

Starlink, which serves over 250,000 customers in Brazil, faced the risk of having its operating license revoked if it failed to adhere to the Supreme Court’s directive, as reported by Reuters.

Following the X ban, the dispute between Elon Musk and the Brazilian judiciary escalated to involve Starlink. The Supreme Court ordered the freezing of bank accounts and the seizure of assets belonging to the SpaceX subsidiary, including vehicles, real estate, boats, and aircraft.

Additionally, Justice de Moreas instructed Brazil’s central bank to block Starlink from conducting international financial transactions. These measures were reportedly implemented to prevent Starlink from covering any fines imposed on X. Musk, in response to this, said, “Unless the Brazilian government returns the illegally seized property of 𝕏 and SpaceX, we will seek reciprocal seizure of government assets too.”