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Monday December 23, 2024

Starlink to comply with Brazil’s order to block X

Starlink had on Monday refused to obey Moraes' order for all internet providers to block domestic access to X

By Reuters
September 04, 2024
A Starlink satellite internet system is set up on a miners boat on the Madeira River in Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Brazil, July 4, 2024. — Reuters
A Starlink satellite internet system is set up on a miners boat on the Madeira River in Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Brazil, July 4, 2024. — Reuters

Elon Musk's satellite broadband company, Starlink, announced on Tuesday that it is following the order from Brazil's top court judge Alexandre de Moraes to block access to the social media platform X within the country.

In a statement on X, Starlink revealed that it has begun legal action in the Brazilian Supreme Court, arguing that Moraes' order— which has frozen Starlink's finances and barred it from conducting financial transactions in Brazil— constitutes a "gross illegality."

"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," the X post said.

Starlink added that it continues to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that the judge’s "recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution."

Starlink had on Monday refused to obey Moraes' order for all internet providers to block domestic access to X.

Tensions between Brazil and Musk's business empire ratcheted up further as the country's telecoms regulator threatened to sanction Starlink after its top court stood behind the controversial decision to ban social network X from the country.