Starlink announced it will comply with Brazil's Supreme Court order to block X, but it plans to pursue legal action against the decision.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and owner of X, poses upon arrival at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France on June 16, 2023. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
Elon Musk's internet service Starlink said it would comply with an order by Brazil's Supreme Court to block social media platform X in the country. But in a notice of compliance, Starlink promised to pursue "all legal avenues" to keep The Musk-owned platform recently banned-operational in Brazil.
In its statement to the government, Starlink said it would comply with the August 25th order by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, which ordered Internet service providers and app stores to block access to X.
"Despite the illegal blocking of our assets by Starlink, we comply with the blocking order against X in Brazil," Starlink said. "We are working to exhaust all legal options together with others, who feel that @alexandre's recent orders run afoul of the Brazilian constitution."
Last week, De Moraes froze Starlink's accounts in an attempt to compel the company to pay fines against X in Brazil on grounds that it, too, is under Musk's ownership.
Following the asset freeze, Starlink said on August 29 that the decision by De Moraes violated due process and was unconstitutional.
In a statement, Starlink said the order was issued "in secret and without due process of law to which Starlink is guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution." "The company will take the due measures on this matter before the proper legal venue," it added.
The announcement by Starlink to take down X comes one day after a press officer with Brazil's telecommunications regulator told The Epoch Times that the company had "informally" signaled to a senior agency official its intention to ignore a ban on X.
The spokesperson added that unless Starlink does so, it will be subject to penalties, including the possible revocation of its license to operate in Brazil.
If the company refuses, Starlink would face an eventual seizure of the equipment in its 23 ground stations from where it has more than a quarter million customers in Brazil, according to Anatel board member Arthur Coimbra.
The latest development comes after a prolonged dispute between Brazilian authorities and Elon Musk, who refused to comply with court orders to block accounts accused of hate speech and misinformation. Musk, along with the global government affairs team at X, has slammed the orders as illegal censorship.
His decree, which ordered internet service providers and app stores to block access to X, forced users in Brazil who utilized a VPN to circumvent the ban to pay a fine of $8,900 daily. Until such a time when X deems it fit to comply with these orders, the site shall remain blocked, ruled de Moraes.
He accused Elon Musk of showing brazen disrespect for the sovereignty of Brazil and the judiciary, depicting himself as some sort of supranational figure above the laws of individual countries. Musk has not been shy about hitting back at de Moraes, particularly over his decision to block X in Brazil.
Recently, Musk reposted one featuring billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who likened de Moraes's move to strongman tactics in communist China and said Brazil could turn into an "uninvestable" market. Musk appeared to agree with the criticism from Ackman, who termed the ban of X as "illegal."