Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, has informed Brazil's telecommunications regulator Anatel that it will not adhere to a court directive to block the social media platform X in Brazil until its local accounts are reinstated..
Anatel verified this information to Reuters on Monday, following comments from its director Carlos Baigorri, who mentioned that the agency had received a communication from Starlink, which serves over 200,000 customers in Brazil, and subsequently forwarded it to the country's highest court.
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes mandated all telecommunications companies in Brazil to suspend X, also owned by Musk, due to its absence of a legal representative in the country. This action resulted in the freezing of Starlink's bank accounts in Brazil. Musk reacted to the account freeze by labeling Moraes a "dictator."
The account freeze is linked to an ongoing issue regarding unpaid fines that X was ordered to pay for not providing certain documents.
The Supreme Court has not yet responded to inquiries for comment.
On Monday, a five-member panel of the court is expected to deliberate on whether to uphold Moraes' order. Legal experts consulted by Reuters suggest that the panel is likely to affirm Moraes' decision.