- Joined
- Nov 12, 2019
cross-post
all it took was squeezing starlink.


all it took was squeezing starlink.

X did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment, while Musk and the social network’s global government affairs page, which have typically been vocal about the court orders, did not publish any comments or statements Saturday.
Tangent
X came back online in Brazil earlier this week after the platform changed network providers, though the restoration was temporary, according to a tweet from X’s global government affairs page, which noted Wednesday it was working with Brazil’s government to get the platform back up and running. Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes fined X and Musk’s satellite company Starlink more than $920,000 for each day X operated in Brazil following the provider change, according to the BBC, which noted it is unclear if the court will demand payment because X promptly returned to its previous service provider.
Key Background
The decision to comply with the court orders is a 180-degree change from the stance Musk took in recent months as he refused to agree to the supreme court’s demands. Musk and X have openly criticized the Brazilian Supreme Court and Moraes since April, when the platform said it was asked to “block certain popular accounts” in Brazil without proper reason. The demands to block the accounts stemmed from an investigation into “digital militias” accused of spreading disinformation ahead of Brazil’s municipal election this October. Musk said X was specifically asked to remove accounts belonging to journalists and sitting members of Brazil’s parliament, while the platform’s global government affairs page posted sealed court orders and claimed they would impact “not just Brazilians but residents of the United States and Argentina.” Musk called out Moraes on multiple occasions throughout the row, calling for the judge’s resignation and likening his physical appearance to Voldemort, the main antagonist of “Harry Potter.” The conflict eventually spread to Musk’s satellite company Starlink, which had some of its bank accounts frozen in a move designed to prevent it from “conducting financial transactions” in Brazil. Starlink said in a tweet the order was “based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied unconstitutionally against X.”
