The tensions between Brazil and Elon Musk’s business empire escalated further as the country’s telecoms regulator threatened to sanction his satellite broadband company Starlink. This happened just hours after the country’s top court supported a controversial decision to ban the social network X from the country. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also supported the top court’s decision to suspend X.
The judge found that X allowed postings of hate messages and falsehoods about the country’s electronic voting system, which undermined Brazil’s democracy. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated in an interview with CNN Brasil that “The Brazilian judiciary may have given an important signal that the world is not obliged to put up with Musk’s far-right ideology just because he is rich”. After the judge moved to freeze Starlink’s accounts for possible use to pay fines owed by X, Musk said in an X posting that he would seek a reciprocal seizure of Brazilian assets. Starlink again found itself in Brazilian authorities’ crosshairs by refusing to obey the judge’s order for all internet providers to block domestic access to X.
Anatel, the telecommunications regulator, mentioned that sanctions against Starlink for noncompliance could include the revocation of its license to operate in Brazil. Anatel commissioner Artur Coimbra told Reuters that the regulator is inspecting all Brazilian telecom operators to ensure they have shut down Musk’s messaging platform. Starlink is the only company that has told Anatel it will not comply with the judge’s ruling, according to Coimbra. Starlink did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. It previously told Anatel it was refusing to remove X from its service until the freeze on its Brazilian bank accounts was lifted, the telecom regulator confirmed to Reuters earlier on Monday.
The logo of social media platform X is seen on a mobile phone next to a reflection of Brazil’s Supreme Court in this illustration taken August 30, 2024, in Brasilia, Brazil. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Earlier on Monday, a Supreme Court panel voted unanimously to uphold the suspension of X in the country for defying a court order. Moraes ruled that X should be suspended in Brazil because it did not name a local legal representative as required by law and ignored a deadline for compliance.
X was taken down for most Brazilians in the early hours of Saturday following Moraes’ decision, although some people continued to access it through VPNs and other means. Brazil is X’s sixth-biggest market globally with about 21.5 million users as of April, according to Statista. Moraes and Musk, who owns a controlling share in Starlink, have been in a feud after the social media platform challenged orders to block accounts spreading misinformation and hate. Musk has argued that Moraes sought to censor users and closed the X office in Brazil in August without appointing a new representative, triggering the suspension.