Starlink was reportedly targeted after Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday gave 24 hours to Elon Musk to name a legal representative for X in Brazil of face a ban in the country. Both Starlink and X are owned by Elon Musk.
X has been facing heat in Brazil and Musk closed X’s office there last week in protest of orders from a Brazilian Supreme Court justice to suspend certain accounts. If X refuses to comply, it could lose access to one of its largest markets outside the United States — a blow as the company struggles to regain revenue after Musk battled with advertisers and told them not to spend on the platform.
The court posted its order on X on Wednesday night, suggesting that Musk had until about 8 pm local time Thursday to respond.
X and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the possible ban. Musk instead took to X to berate Moraes.
Musk has accused Moraes of censoring conservative voices online after Moraes ordered the suspension of more than 100 X accounts citing misinformation.
Most of the accounts that Moraes has targeted belong to right-wing supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president. Some of them questioned Bolsonaro’s 2022 election loss and sympathized with protesters who raided Brazil’s halls of power, hoping to invoke a military takeover.
Musk has vocally supported Bolsonaro, and worked with him on an effort to bring Musk’s internet service, Starlink, to Brazil.