Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink has backtracked and announced it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s order to block the billionaire’s social media platform, X.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked Tuesday and said it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s order to block the billionaire’s social media platform, X.

Starlink said in a statement posted on X that it will heed Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ order despite him having frozen the company’s assets. Previously, it informally told the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed course.

“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” the company statement said. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent order violate the Brazilian constitution.”

  • PugJesus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    80·
    8 months ago

    Pussy. Go on, Elon. Make your companies play chicken with a national government. I’m sure every other national government out there will definitely back you up, because making a company above the law (without paying the requisite bribes) is DEFINITELY something that national governments want to normalize!

  • JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world
    54·
    8 months ago

    Typical. Send the lawyers first to intimidate. Then get told you have no case. Then walk back tail between legs.

  • trevor (he/they)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    374·
    8 months ago

    That’s a bummer. I was hoping EU countries would be inspired by Brazil to actually enforce some of their laws and ban Twitter as well.

    Edit: as vxx pointed out, there is a positive way to interpret this outcome, and I was probably being needlessly pessimistic.

    • vxx@lemmy.world
      24·
      8 months ago

      Am I missing something? twitter is still blocked in brasil. The article is about starlink caving in and blocking it as well for brasilian users.

      EU might still block them once they decided he doesn’t comply with the law, and fines didn’t help.

      • trevor (he/they)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        10·
        8 months ago

        Sorry. To clarify what I meant: the “bummer” is that I want the situation with Starlink, Twitter, and Brazil to result in the permanent downfall of that dogshit site, and severe fines for Starlink so that other countries can look toward Brazil as an example of how to deal with the kinds of social media sites that allow disinformation to propagate.

        The fact that Starlink has agreed to comply takes off some of the heat, and therefore leaves some of the territory of fully exploring the legal ramifications of holding reich-wing billionaire freaks somewhat accountable for the shit that their companies do unexplored. Yeah, it’s good that Twitter is still forbidden from operating in Brazil, but I would have liked for Musk to face more repercussions through Starlink as well.

        I hope that the EU still takes action against Twitter though, with or without any additional escalation involving Starlink.

        • vxx@lemmy.world
          9·
          8 months ago

          I see it as a positive. Elon tried to strong arm the judge but they froze assets to show they’re not to be fucked with. It worked and the billionaire didn’t get away.

          Others can still take it as an inspiration or motivation.

  • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
    71·
    8 months ago

    Am I the only one surprised by this? The rich bitch didn’t get away with something?

    Why? Like, why for real, not just “this is why this is happening based on the law, bla bla bla”. The law doesn’t apply to this prick.