Elon Musk is increasing his troubles by expanding his fight against the Brazilian authorities. For weeks, the billionaire has refused the Brazilian court’s request to ban a few accounts on his X platform. As a result, the court placed a nationwide ban on the platform. However, Elon has urged the Brazilian masses to use VPNs and other software to circumvent the ban despite repeated warnings from the court. Representatives of X have accused the court’s bench of wrongdoing as they feel like their statements weren’t heard properly. After the nationwide ban on the social media platform, the company wrote, “When we attempted to defend ourselves in court, Judge de Moraes threatened our Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment. Even after she resigned, he froze all of her bank accounts. Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were either dismissed or ignored. Judge de Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unwilling or unable to stand up to him.”
The Brazilian court also ordered the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to ban X on their respective networks. Now, Elon is defying this order, too. Starlink, an ISP controlled by Elon Musk, has over 250,000 users in Brazil, and the company told the country’s officials that it will not comply with the ban imposed by the court. As a result, Justice Alexandre de Moraes has frozen Starlink’s assets. This action is intended to enforce compliance with court orders and extract more than $3 million in fines previously imposed on X for not complying with the initial orders.
Also Read: AI Utilisation by Elon Musk
Starlink is saying it will provide its services in the country for free until the authorities unfreeze their bank accounts and other assets. Starlink might attempt to maintain its service in Brazil without a license, but doing so would not live up to the Brazilian regulations. This is possible for Starlink because, unlike conventional internet providers, which usually collaborate with multiple infrastructure firms to deliver connectivity, Starlink links its satellites directly to users’ antennas. This direct approach could limit the opportunities for regulators to interfere with the service. However, if the company keeps doing this, the authorities might revoke its license and seize Starlink’s equipment present in their 23 ground stations across the country.
