In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing legal battle between Elon Musk’s companies and the Brazilian judiciary, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the freezing of local bank accounts belonging to satellite provider Starlink. The move comes as part of a broader standoff that has seen the judge target X, the social media platform owned by Musk, over its refusal to comply with court orders to block certain accounts in Brazil.
The conflict between Musk and the Brazilian government has been simmering for months, with the billionaire entrepreneur consistently defying Judge Moraes’ directives, which he has condemned as “censorship orders.” This defiance culminated in X, formerly known as Twitter, scaling back its operations in the country. However, the confrontation has now intensified, with the judge turning his focus to Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX.
“This order is based on the baseless claim that Starlink should be responsible for the orders imposed – unconstitutionally – on X. It was issued secretly and without presenting Starlink with any due process guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. We intend to resolve the issue legally,” Starlink stated in response to the account freezes.
The dispute centers on Musk’s refusal to appoint a legal representative for X in Brazil, a step that Judge Moraes has insisted upon. Failure to comply, the judge warned, could result in the complete blocking of the social media platform in the country. In response, X has signaled its readiness for a potential shutdown but remains adamant in its stance. “We are not at all insisting that other countries have the same free speech laws as the United States. The main issue here is that Judge de Moraes is asking us to violate Brazil’s own laws. We simply will not do this,” the company declared.
As the standoff continues, X has indicated plans to publicly disclose what it describes as “Moraes’ illegal demands and all related court documents,” setting the stage for what could be a defining showdown over free speech and judicial authority in Brazil.
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