Starlink suspends access to X in Brazil despite ‘illegal treatment,’ while legal battle continues
The satellite internet company assured that it is continuing to seek "legal proceedings" so it can continue offering access to the platform to Brazilians who have been unable to access it since last Saturday.
Image of the message that now appears every time someone in Brazil tries to access X
Starlink, Elon Musk’s company that provides satellite internet, said Tuesday that it will comply with the order of the Brazilian Supreme Court to block X in the country, due to lawsuits against the platform.
The company, with more than 250,000 customers in the South American country, especially in remote areas, first informed the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) on Sunday that it would not comply with the suspension order, according to the president of the state-run entity, Carlos Baigorri.
The company assured that it will obey the ruling, ordered on Friday by Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, once its financial accounts, blocked by the judge before X went offline early Saturday morning, have been unfrozen.
However, this Tuesday, it changed its strategy and announced that it will join the rest of the internet providers that have already blocked the social network, widely used in Brazil, where up to the time of the suspension it had more than 22 million users, according to DataReportal.
"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 stated in a message on X.
A figurehead of the fight against freedom of speech in Brazil, Judge Moraes restricted Starlink's financial accounts by holding it "responsible" for the payment of fines not assumed by X, the firm maintained a few days ago.
The satellite internet company, which has been operating in South America's largest country since 2022, especially in remote communities in the Amazon, has gone to the Brazilian Supreme Court seeking to have its assets unfrozen, without success so far.
"We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that [Alexandre de Moraes’] recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution," the company said Tuesday.
If it failed to comply with the order, Starlink risked fines and loss of permission to operate in the country, the ANATEL president explained.
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