Starlink Says ‘Complying’ With X Ban In Brazil

Elon Musk satellite internet company Starlink said it is complying with a Brazilian court order to block Musk-owned social network X, formerly Twitter, in the country, after previously indicating it would defy the order.

In a post on X Starlink said it had launched a challenge in the Brazilian Supreme Court over the “gross illegality” of a separate order by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes freezing Starlink’s access to its domestic bank accounts.

The move, which prevents Starlink from carrying out financial transactions in the country, was undertaken in an effort to recoup more than $3 million (£2.3m) in fines levied against X for refusal to comply with court orders.

“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,” Starlink said in the post.

Satellite access

It said it continues to pursue all legal avenues and that it is supported by others who agree Moraes’ “recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution”.

Brazil’s telecoms regulator Anatel earlier this week threatened to sanction Starlink after Brazil’s Supreme Court voted unanimously to uphold the order banning X.

Anatel head Carlos Baigorri said in an interview with Globo TV that Starlink’s lawyers had told the telecoms regulator that it would not be complying with the order to block X.

He said Anatel could revoke Starlink’s licence to operate in Brazil, which would “hypothetically” prevent the company from offering connections to Brazilians.

Starlink, whose parent SpaceX is led by Musk, initially said it would not comply with the order to block X until its bank accounts were unfrozen.

Starlink offers its services directly to users via satellite, meaning it could have tried to continue offering services in Brazil without a licence, in violation of Brazilian law.

Legal tensions

In response Anatel could have seized Starlink equipment at 23 ground stations in the country, which is there to help improve connections, Baigorri told Globo News.

An earlier petition by Starlink to Brazil’s Supreme Court to unlock its assets was dismissed.

The firm has said it would provide service for free to Brazilians while it was unable to process transactions.

Moraes has been investigating “digital militias” that allegedly participated in an effort to overthrow the government after the election defeat of right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro in October 2022, the same year that Starlink began operating in Brazil.

He ordered X blocked in the country after the firm began ignoring court orders to suspend accounts and closed its office in the country.