Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the financial accounts of Elon Musk’s Starlink to be blocked, as a result of an ongoing feud that has put Musk’s social media platform X in jeopardy of being taken down in the country. De Moraes’ decision to sanction Starlink, the satellite broadband unit of Musk’s SpaceX, comes in response to the lack of legal representation in Brazil for the X social network. Musk has denounced de Moraes’ actions as censorship and labeled him as a criminal pretending to be a judge.
Starlink confirmed it received an order preventing financial transactions in Brazil and stated it would address the order legally. De Moraes has also ordered Musk to name a legal representative for X within 24 hours or face suspension in the country. X had previously announced the closure of operations in Brazil due to what it called censorship orders from de Moraes, while keeping its service available to Brazilian users.
The ongoing feud between Musk and de Moraes stems from de Moraes’ crackdown on misinformation and disinformation in Brazil, leading to the suspension of over 100 X accounts, including those of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, has accused de Moraes of stifling free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution. The situation continues to escalate as legal battles between Musk’s companies and Brazilian authorities unfold.
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