The battle between a Brazil judge and Starlink/X escalates
After Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes froze Starlink bank accounts in Brazil in order to guarantee payments of fines he imposed on X because it refused to obey his commmand to censor some users, Elon Musk has responded defiantly and with force.
Starlink said Thursday that it will challenge De Moraes’ decision regarding the company’s bank accounts. “The order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink is liable for the fines levied against X. It was issued in secret and without giving Starlink any of the due process guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. We intend to address the matter legally,” the company argued.
De Moraes’ deadline to appoint a new legal representative of X ended at 8.07 pm Thursday and, as expected, it was not complied with. In this scenario, the next step would be to suspend the social network in the country, for which there is still no deadline. X said in a statement that it would not comply with the judge’s “illegal decisions” aimed at “censoring“ De Moraes’ ”political opponents.”
“When we tried to defend ourselves in court, the minister threatened to arrest our legal representative in Brazil. Even after his resignation, he froze all his bank accounts. Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were rejected or ignored. Minister Alexandre De Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unable or unwilling to confront him,” X underlined while announcing it would be disclosing the judge’s confidential decisions against the company. X “does not comply with illegal orders in secret,” the company stressed.
“We are absolutely not insisting that other countries have the same free speech laws as the United States. The fundamental issue at stake here is that Justice Alexandre De Moraes is demanding that we violate Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that,” the company added.
Musk has also pointed out that Starlink is an entirely different company than X. Musk has said that since its bank accounts are presently frozen, it will provide its users service for free, since “Many remote schools and hospitals depend on SpaceX’s Starlink.” He however soon expects De Moraes to shut down this service soon as well. He has also called De Moraes an “”an outright criminal” whom he expects to end up behind bars someday for his censorious and illegal rulings.
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After Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes froze Starlink bank accounts in Brazil in order to guarantee payments of fines he imposed on X because it refused to obey his commmand to censor some users, Elon Musk has responded defiantly and with force.
Starlink said Thursday that it will challenge De Moraes’ decision regarding the company’s bank accounts. “The order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink is liable for the fines levied against X. It was issued in secret and without giving Starlink any of the due process guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. We intend to address the matter legally,” the company argued.
De Moraes’ deadline to appoint a new legal representative of X ended at 8.07 pm Thursday and, as expected, it was not complied with. In this scenario, the next step would be to suspend the social network in the country, for which there is still no deadline. X said in a statement that it would not comply with the judge’s “illegal decisions” aimed at “censoring“ De Moraes’ ”political opponents.”
“When we tried to defend ourselves in court, the minister threatened to arrest our legal representative in Brazil. Even after his resignation, he froze all his bank accounts. Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were rejected or ignored. Minister Alexandre De Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unable or unwilling to confront him,” X underlined while announcing it would be disclosing the judge’s confidential decisions against the company. X “does not comply with illegal orders in secret,” the company stressed.
“We are absolutely not insisting that other countries have the same free speech laws as the United States. The fundamental issue at stake here is that Justice Alexandre De Moraes is demanding that we violate Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that,” the company added.
Musk has also pointed out that Starlink is an entirely different company than X. Musk has said that since its bank accounts are presently frozen, it will provide its users service for free, since “Many remote schools and hospitals depend on SpaceX’s Starlink.” He however soon expects De Moraes to shut down this service soon as well. He has also called De Moraes an “”an outright criminal” whom he expects to end up behind bars someday for his censorious and illegal rulings.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
The “judge” is a paid goon of the Bidumbs
Politicians and judges need a lot less power. I’d say cut their authority back until things get bad, but, uh, what happens if things only get better?
If we had patriots running our government, people who value freedom and liberty, our government would be defending SpaceX in this matter with Brazil.
We’ve lost a great deal, fallen quite far from our founding.
I’m sure relieved that the U.S. doesn’t have corrupt judges.
Ha!
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/28/ketanji-brown-jackson-donald-trump-immunity-interview?utm_source=microsoft
Equal protection under the law, no one is above the law! no special favors, including no Secret Service protection!
Brazilian supreme court justices have both judician and prosecutorial power. The majority of justices are virulent leftists, legacy of the first Lula administration and Dilma (Lula junior) administrations. They have been persecuting their political opponents including former president Jair Bolsonario with no institution stopping them. The Brazilian deep state including large oligarcs have bought off the military with bribes. Its a mess. The Brazilian constitution guarantees rights to free speech and political expression but no one seems to be enforcing the constitution.
no one seems to be enforcing the constitution.
There seems to be a lot of that going around, these days.
Mark,
It would be like that here, but we have the 2nd Amendment and our citizenry is armed. Brazil doesn’t have a 2nd amendment, the population is unarmed, except for the narco-trafigantes
The majority of Brazil’s current Supreme Court (STF) is composed of leftist friends of president Lula and his party (two judges were personal attorneys of his, prior to being nominated…). The Senate confirmation is a joke, a simple rubber stamp by partisan hacks, placing a bet against the day that they need their own “get out of jail free” card by the Court.
That is exactly what happened with Lula, who was convicted in three prior separate judicial instances, and then simply set free by his friends at the STF, in time to run for – and “win” – 2022’s election…
Our poor country is going downhill fast. There are mass protests expected for September 9, Brazil’s Independence Day, but I fear that the Left’s grip on our institutions is too strong.
‘Brazil’s military reportedly relies on Starlink for vital operations like training and communications. Musk said “Starlink will continue to support the Brazilian military even though our bank accounts… have been illegally frozen.” ‘
‘Starlink says it has more than a quarter of a million customers in Brazil, “from the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro.” Starlink said the figure includes small businesses, schools and first responders … Starlink team is doing everything possible to ensure their service is not interrupted’
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/musk-escalates-attacks-on-brazilian-judge-as-starlink-finances-are-frozen-and-x-suspension-looms/ar-AA1pI74Z
So attacking Starlink is a good idea too…until judge IRULETHEWORLD! pushes Musk too far and forces him to turn it off. Not like the little dictator can just hop on his rocket and go up to confiscate the satellites providing the service. But maybe he feels no one important uses it…
RZ said: “After Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes froze Starlink bank accounts…. ”
At the risk of going NSFW, I am reminded of Limbaugh’s description of O’Bama State of the Union speeches, which he described as Shut the &%$ Up (STFU). STF would seem to be an appropriate name for Brazil’s Supremes. Cheers –
agrimarc: By eliminating one letter, I made your comment acceptable to me.
On that last bit, we can only hope.
But, honestly, we have plenty of these judges in our own country. And there is only one way to rid ourselves of them, after a certain point.
Shallow Minded Reader
August 30, 2024 at 3:15 pm
the population is unarmed,
Not entirely true. The last president, who was a bit more freedom and justice minded opened things up and a lot of folks purchased firearms, IIRC. I don’t know what happened to those weapons with Lula taking over.
From Tupi Report on Telegram:
👤🛰❌💥🇧🇷⚖️ — Starlink, the company owned by Elon Musk, has informally informed the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) that it will not comply with the decision of Supreme Federal Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes to suspend access for its users to 𝕏 in Brazil
❗️ According to Carlos Baigorri, the president of the agency, in an interview with TV Globo, the company stated that it will not obey the order as long as its financial resources remain blocked by the court (https://t.me/tupireport/19005).
“We received information that Starlink would not be blocking access to the 𝕏 platform. Throughout the day, I contacted Starlink’s lawyers at Anatel, and what we were informed this afternoon is that Starlink would not block access to 𝕏 while the funds blocked by the court associated with Starlink remain frozen.”
🔼 This year, Starlink became the largest satellite broadband internet provider in Brazil (https://t.me/tupireport/16702), with 200,000 users. According to data released in July by Anatel, the company reached this mark in May when it recorded 38,000 new subscriptions in just one month. Among the company’s clients are the country’s Armed Forces.
Source 🖇 (https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/republica/starlink-anatel-nao-vai-bloquear-x/)
Marcello
Independence day is 7 September
Abracos
Shallow Minded Reader,
Yes, of course you’re right; had a Biden-Harris moment while posting, sorry.
Abraço!