SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that the company will continue to provide Starlink satellite internet services to the Brazilian military as well as other users despite the country’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes freezing Starlink’s finances.
What Happened: “Starlink will continue to support the Brazilian military even though our bank accounts in Brazil have been illegally frozen by Judge De Voldemort,” Musk said on X. The billionaire entrepreneur also said that the company will continue to provide internet service to users in Brazil for free until the matter is resolved as the company cannot receive payments.
According to SpaceX, it has over a quarter million Starlink customers in Brazil, including small businesses, schools, and first responders. The company said on Thursday that it is attempting to ensure that internet services to its users are not interrupted owing to the legal dispute.
The Supreme Court of Brazil imposed a financial freeze on Starlink earlier this week. The court's decision, signed by Supreme Court Judge de Moraes, is a response to X’s lack of a legal representative in Brazil as required by its laws for internet companies. The freeze also pertains to a separate issue regarding unpaid fines that X was directed to pay due to its failure to provide certain documents.
Musk owns the social media platform X and about 42% of SpaceX.
SpaceX And Musk Respond: “This order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied—unconstitutionally—against X. It was issued in secret and without affording Starlink any of the due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution of Brazil. We intend to address the matter legally,” SpaceX wrote on X about the freeze imposed on Starlink finances.
Musk, meanwhile, has resorted to namecalling the Supreme Court judge, labeling him a “tyrannical dictator masquerading as a judge” and a “criminal.” The CEO also alleged that the court order is “absolutely illegal” and “improperly punishes” SpaceX shareholders as SpaceX and X are “completely different” companies.
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