Starlink submits to Brazil court demands to block X but continues to fight for its assets

Starlink has said it will honour Brazil's request to block platform X (formerly Twitter), despite its ongoing battle with the freezing of its assets.

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The company had previously said it would not block X until Brazilian authorities unfreeze its assets. However, following a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling on the possible seizure of Starlink equipment, the company did start blocking X, while continuing to challenge the asset freeze in court.

Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes froze Starlink's Brazilian accounts to force the company to pay the fines imposed on X, which exceeded $3 million. Starlink claims that these fines were imposed illegally, as Starlink and X are different companies. In case of non-compliance, Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel could seize Starlink's equipment.

The conflict between X and Brazil began after Ilon Musk refused to comply with an order to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation. As a result, local ISPs blocked the platform, and now Starlink has also agreed to block X for fear of losing its equipment in Brazil, but the company continues to fight to unblock its accounts in the country.

Source: Arstechnica