Brazilian Judge Escalates Feud With Musk, Freezes Starlink Funds and Threatens X Ban

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, froze Starlink bank accounts in Brazil in an effort to force the company to pay fines levied against X, formerly Twitter. Moraes argues that Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, should be responsible for the fines as it is connected to X. Starlink maintains that it is a separate entity and is disputing the ruling. Musk criticized Moraes` actions, calling him a criminal and threatening that he would one day be imprisoned. In response to the blocked accounts, Musk stated that Starlink would provide free internet service in Brazil until the issue is resolved. This conflict stems from a larger disagreement between Musk and Moraes regarding the judge`s efforts to combat fake news and hate speech, which Musk and others believe undermines free speech. Moraes has also threatened to block X in Brazil if a legal representative is not appointed within the country.