Following the country’s Supreme Court decision, the platform was virtually unavailable in the country by Sunday evening. The only ways to access x since then have been through VPNs (for those willing to risk huge fines) and , the satellite internet service also run by x’s owner, Elon Musk.
The head of Brazil's telecoms agency Anatel said Starlink refused to comply with the court order until officials released its frozen assets. x.html” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:The New York Times;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “> reports. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court judge who has been on the warpath against x, too, which is a subsidiary of SpaceX. Moraes, who has accused x of spreading hate speech and disinformation, is said to have done so with the aim of collecting $3 million in fines levied against x by
Starlink asked the court to unblock its assets, but the court dismissed the request. Musk called the freezing of Starlink's accounts “unlawful,” arguing that SpaceX and x are separate entities, while claiming that he owns 40 percent of the former.
There are about 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. The service has proven popular in rural areas and among indigenous tribes in the amazon. Starlink has pledged to provide free internet access to its Brazilian customers while their accounts in the country remain blocked.
If Starlink maintains its stance on x, Brazil could revoke the internet service’s license. If it continues to operate after that, authorities could seize equipment from 23 ground stations. The equipment helps Starlink improve the quality of its satellite connections.
Meanwhile, the majority of a Supreme Court panel x-in-deepening-feud-with-musk” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:upheld the x ban;cpos:6;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>that Moraes issued after Musk defied several of his orders, in a trial on Monday. x will have the right to appeal the decision. The panel also approved an order by Moraes to fine anyone caught using a VPN to access x in Brazil with a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian reals (about $8,900).
