Starlink defies Moraes’ decision and contests account blocking in Brazil

Starlink said on Thursday (29) that it will contest the decision of Minister Alexandre de Moraes that ordered the blocking of the company’s bank accounts, which belongs to billionaire Elon Musk and operates in the area of ​​satellite internet in Brazil.

Earlier, Moraes ordered the block to guarantee the payment of fines stipulated for non-compliance with decisions on the suspension of profiles of those investigated by the Court on the social network X, which also belongs to Musk.

In a post published on X, Starlink stated that the understanding that the company should be held responsible is unfounded and will be addressed legally.

“The order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink is liable for the fines levied against X. It was issued in secret [de Justiça] and without giving Starlink any of the due legal process guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. We intend to address the matter legally,” the company said.

The block will affect the company’s accounts in Brazil. Starlink provides internet service to rural areas of the country and has contracts with government agencies such as the Armed Forces and electoral courts.

The decision came to light after Alexandre de Moraes determined this Wednesday (28) that Elon Musk indicate, within 24 hours, a new legal representative for X in Brazil.

The subpoena was issued through the STF’s profile on the social network. On August 17, Musk announced the closure of the company’s headquarters in Brazil and accused Moraes of threatening him.

The closure occurred after successive failures to comply with the minister’s orders. Among them, the one that ordered the blocking of the profile of Senator Marcos do Val (Podemos-ES) and others under investigation.

Earlier, Musk used his X account to mock Moraes’ decision to subpoena him through the platform and published an image generated by artificial intelligence to compare the minister to villains from the Harry Potter and Star Wars series.