Starlink, the satellite internet company controlled by Elon Musk, has been caught in the crosshairs of an ongoing feud between the billionaire, who also owns X, and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
In addition to imposing a ban on X over the spread of misinformation, the Brazilian justice also handed down an order that prevents Starlink from performing financial transactions. The move was supposed to coerce X into paying $3 million in fines for failing to block accounts flagged by the Brazilian government, as reported by The New York Times.
Starlink’s block on X puts the company in a strange position, especially when Musk considers himself a “free speech absolutist.”
“We immediately initiated legal proceedings in the Brazilian Supreme Court explaining the gross illegality of this order and asking the Court to unfreeze our assets,” Starlink says in a post on X. “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.”
On Monday, a Brazilian Supreme Court panel upheld the decision to limit access to X. Internet service providers and mobile app stores have until September 4th to block X, and those who continue accessing the platform through a virtual private network (VPN) could face steep daily fines.