By SRH
One day after Brazillian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes threatened to suspend social media platform X unless Elon Musk appoints a new legal representative in 24 hours, the judge – dubbed “Brazil’s Darth Vader” by Musk – issued a subpoena against the company.
Today, he blocked the financial accounts of Musk-owned Starlink Holdings, due to the absence of an attorney.
On August 18, Moraes took action against X’s bank accounts to ensure the payment of fines levied by Brazilian authorities for the platform’s refusal to censor certain content, as reported by Metropoles.
Reports from G1, later confirmed by Metropoles, indicate that advisors from Minister Alexandre de Moraes’s office revealed that another Musk-owned entity in Brazil, Starlink Holding, which provides satellite internet services, also faced financial restrictions.
All Starlink executives in Brazil were notified and summoned to address the outstanding amounts owed to Brazilian authorities due to X’s actions. In response, Musk labeled Moraes a dictator, ominously stating, “this picture of you in prison will be real. Mark my words.”
Earlier this month, Moraes initiated an investigation into Musk after the billionaire declared his intention to defy a court order linked to an ongoing inquiry into social media accounts accused of disseminating misinformation and hate speech.
Moraes expressed that “the blatant obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement to crime, public threats of defiance against court orders, and anticipated non-cooperation from the platform are actions that undermine Brazil’s sovereignty.”
While X initially indicated compliance by blocking certain popular accounts in Brazil, Musk quickly countered, following the release of the “TWITTER FILES BRAZIL,” asserting that they would not comply, stating, “As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.”
The next day, Musk accused Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes of “brazenly and repeatedly betraying the constitution and people of Brazil,” demanding his resignation or impeachment.
In light of his decision to launch an inquiry, de Moraes stated that “X must adhere to all existing court orders, including refraining from reactivating any profiles that have been blocked by this Supreme Court,” according to Reuters. The justice also mentioned that Musk could face a fine.
The following day, Musk took to social media to declare that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had “shamelessly and consistently betrayed the constitution and the citizens of Brazil,” urging him to either “step down or face impeachment.” In response, de Moraes stated that as part of his inquiry, “X must comply with all existing court orders, including refraining from reactivating any profiles that have been blocked by this Supreme Court,” according to Reuters. The justice warned that Musk could incur a penalty of around $20,000 for each account he reactivates on X.
