Brazil's Supreme Court unfreezes Starlink and X's bank accounts
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, has lifted the previously imposed freezes on the bank accounts of Starlink and X. This decision comes after a mandated transfer of 18.35 million reais (around $3.3 million) from these accounts to the Brazilian treasury was completed. The court confirmed that the freezes were lifted because the transferred amount equaled the total fines X owed Brazil, stemming from a dispute between Elon Musk and Moraes.
The feud between Musk and Moraes
The feud between Musk and Moraes began when X failed to comply with orders, to block certain accounts accused of disseminating "fake news" and hate messages. Moraes had deemed these messages as threats to democracy, leading him to block access to X in Brazil, its sixth-largest market. In response, Musk has contested these orders, labeling them as "censorship."
X's non-compliance with Brazilian law
X also faced criticism for not appointing a local legal representative as mandated by Brazilian law, and for disregarding a deadline to comply with court orders. This led Moraes to freeze Starlink's accounts in Brazil, possibly to cover fines owed by X. Despite lifting the account freezes, Moraes has maintained his decision to block access to X in Brazil due to unresolved issues around legal representation and unfulfilled content removal orders.
