Starlink bows to Brazil's court order amid feud over X ban

Elon Musk's satellite internet provider Starlink has reversed its opposition and now says it will abide by an order by Brazil's top court to block access to X, the billionaire's social network, in Latin America's largest country.

Starlink, which had its bank accounts frozen by judicial order, had, on an informal basis, told Anatel, the country's telecommunications watchdog, that it wouldn't comply with the requirement, according to the agency.

“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,” the company said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Musk is in the middle of a very heated, somewhat public feud with Brazil over the fact that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes called for X to be banned as part of his broader campaign against disinformation. That spat extended to Starlink after X refused to pay fines, and that judge moved to freeze the accounts of the internet provider in an attempt to force the billionaire to enforce earlier rulings.

The judge ordered the Central Bank, added to the case, to block the sending and receiving of money to and from abroad by the company. The frozen assets include the bank accounts and financial assets coming from Starlink Brazil Holding Ltda and Starlink Brazil Servicos de Internet Ltda, cars, real estate, boats, and aircraft.

Hacking attacks have increased, according to a statement by Anatel on Tuesday - “which caused momentary system and network instability." Brazil's Supreme Court and the Federal Police have also reported cyberattacks.

The ban against X has become a rallying cry for the network of right-wing political allies Musk has cultivated in recent years.

Donald Trump's son has invoked it in the US as a warning of what's in store if his father loses his campaign to take back the White House. Republican senators are meanwhile calling on the National Football League to cancel a high-profile game it has in Sao Paulo this week as part of its international marketing drive.

In Brazil, backers of former President Jair Bolsonaro are seizing on claims of "censorship" a month ahead of the municipal vote that will be the most significant test of support for the governing Workers' Party nationally.

Though that ban is depriving X of one of its biggest markets outside the US, so far it seems to be a cost Musk is willing to eat as it raises his profile and burnishes his image as a global defender of free speech.

According to Anatel, Starlink has about 225,000 broadband internet contracts in Brazil. That makes it the 16th-ranked provider with just a 0.5 per cent market share.