Elon Musk-controlled satellite internet provider Starlink has told Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel that it will not comply with a court order to block social media platform X in the country until its local accounts are unfrozen.
Anatel confirmed the information to Reuters on Monday after its owner Carlos Baigorri said Globo Television He had received a note from Starlink, which has more than 200,000 customers in Brazil, and passed it on to Brazil's top court.
Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes last week ordered all telecom providers in the country to shut down X, which is also owned by billionaire Musk, for lacking a legal representative in Brazil.
The move also led to the freezing of Starlink's bank accounts in Brazil. Starlink is a unit of the rocket company SpaceX, which is run by Musk. The billionaire responded to the account freeze by calling Moraes a “dictator.”
The decision to freeze Starlink's accounts stems from a separate dispute over unpaid fines that X had to pay because it failed to submit certain documents.
The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, a five-member panel of the court will decide whether to uphold Moraes' ruling.
Legal experts consulted by Reuters have said they believe the panel will likely uphold Moraes' ruling.
