MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Starlink now says it will ban X in Brazil

Starlink's mother company SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell is advising people against traveling to South America's largest country

Satellite internet service provider (ISP) Starlink backtracked on its initial decision and acquiesced to banning social media platform X nationwide as ordered by Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes and supported by fellow magistrates Luis Roberto Fux, Cármen Lúcia, Cristiano Zanin and Flávio Dino. Both X and SpaceX (Starlink's parent company) are owned by South African-born tycoon Elon Musk.

Starlink said in a statement Wednesday that it would abide by the STF's decision, even after De Moraes froze some of its assets in a move to collect fines imposed on X for refusing to abide by previous decisions he had made regarding the continuity of some accounts found to be posting inappropriate content.

“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” the company statement said. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent order violates the Brazilian constitution,” the company said mentioning De Moraes' own X account.

De Moraes froze Starlink’s banking assets in a move to seek payment of over US$ 3 million in fines, claiming that both companies shared ownership. However, Musk argued that some of SpaceX's shareholders have no stake in the social media platform and therefore the judge's decision affected the interests of people in no way linked to the ongoing dispute, thus violating Brazilian law.

De Moraes ordered X's ban after the company failed to appoint a legal representative in the country. He had previously threatened to imprison the previous person to hold that position, also as leverage to have his measures enforced.

Brazil's Telecommunications agency Anatel had been entrusted with carrying out the STF's orders. Starlink faced the seizing of expensive equipment from its 23 ground stations nationwide had it gone on allowing X to be accessed in Brazil, Anatel's Arthur Coimbra told The Associated Press. Starlink started serving Brazilian customers in January 2022 and now has over 250,000 customers, particularly in areas not covered by other providers.

At the same time and as per The Wall Street Journal, SpaceX has started evacuating its workers from South America's largest country and warning people against traveling there regardless of whether for leisure or business purposes so long as De Moraes remains on his bench. “In an email late last week, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell advised employees not to travel to Brazil for work or pleasure,” the WSJ reported.

Meanwhile, in Brasilia, Communications Minister Juscelino Filho insisted that the STF's ruling must be obeyed. “In Brazil, court orders are complied with. When a particular company fails to comply with a court decision, as it was doing, and more than that, even goes so far as to provoke, to affront, it deserves all the repulsion of the Brazilian population, the government, and the country,” the official was quoted by Agencia Brasil as saying citing a broadcast message.

“We have national sovereignty, we have democracy, a constitution that is obeyed by everyone and it is not a guy with more economic power, a rich guy from outside the country, who is going to defy Brazil. We will never accept that,” said the minister.