Imagen description: (Porto Feliz – SP, 05/20/2022) Minister of Communications, Fábio Faria during the Amazon Connectivity and Protection event with Elon Musk.
Starlink has decided not to comply with the ban on transmitting content from X in Brazil. The company announced that it will continue providing free Internet service to its Brazilian users as long as its bank accounts in the country remain frozen.
After Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered internet providers to block access to X, the platform became practically inaccessible in the country on Sunday night. Since then, the only ways to access X have been through the use of VPNs (at the risk of severe fines) and via Starlink, the satellite internet service also managed by the owner of X, Elon Musk.
The president of Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) stated that Starlink has refused to comply with the court order until authorities release its frozen assets, according to The New York Times. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court judge leading the campaign against X, also ordered the freezing of Starlink’s bank accounts, a subsidiary of SpaceX. Moraes, who accuses X of spreading hate speech and misinformation, apparently took this step to collect $3 million in fines imposed on X for failing to comply with orders to block certain accounts.
Starlink requested the court to unfreeze its assets, but the request was denied. Musk has called the freezing of Starlink’s accounts “illegal,” arguing that SpaceX and X are separate entities, though he acknowledged owning 40% of the former.
In Brazil, approximately 250,000 people use Starlink’s service, which has gained popularity, especially in rural areas and among indigenous communities in the Amazon. Starlink has committed to providing free internet access to its Brazilian customers as long as its accounts remain frozen.
If Starlink continues its stance on X, Brazil could revoke its license to operate the internet service. If the service continues operating after such a revocation, authorities could move to seize equipment from 23 ground stations, which are crucial for improving the quality of Starlink’s satellite connections.
Meanwhile, most of the Supreme Court judges upheld the ban on X, which Moraes imposed after Musk defied several of his orders, in a session held on Monday. X will have the opportunity to appeal this decision. The panel also endorsed an order from Moraes to impose a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian reais (approximately $8,900) on anyone caught using a VPN to access X in Brazil.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director
Image Credits: Wikimedi Commons / Photo: Cleverson Oliveira/Mcom / CC BY 2.0 / Attribution 2.0 Generic