Starlink, the satellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk, has announced that it is now complying with a Brazilian court order to block access to the social media platform X.
This comes after the company initially refused to restrict X unless Brazil lifted a freeze on its financial assets.
Starlink has found itself entangled in a legal battle between Musk, who also owns X, and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The conflict began when the court imposed a ban on X due to concerns about the spread of misinformation.
In response, the justice also froze Starlink’s financial transactions, aiming to pressure X into paying $3 million in fines for failing to block certain accounts flagged by the Brazilian government.
Initially, Starlink resisted the order, labeling it as “grossly illegal” and filing a legal challenge in the Brazilian Supreme Court to have its assets unfrozen. Despite this resistance, the company has now agreed to comply with the court’s directive to block access to X in Brazil, even as it continues to contest the legality of the asset freeze.
On Monday, a panel of Brazilian Supreme Court judges upheld the decision to limit access to X. As a result, internet service providers and mobile app stores in Brazil have until September 4th to block the platform. Users attempting to access X through a virtual private network (VPN) could face significant daily fines.
