In an effort to collect unpaid fines owed by X, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has sequestered nearly$ 3 million from the bank accounts of social media platform X and satellite internet provider Starlink, both of which are controlled by billionaire Elon Musk.
The walk, aimed at collecting the amount equal to the charges owed by X, has raised legitimate questions, especially regarding the melting of Starlink’s bank accounts. Despite Musk’s possession of both X and SpaceX, which operates Starlink, the two firms are independent companies.
On Friday, Brazil’s Supreme Court confirmed that over 7.2 million reais ($ 1.3 million ) were transferred from X’s account, along with nearly 11 million reais ($ 2 million ) from Starlink’s account. The decision was issued on Wednesday, and the bank records were unfrozen after full repayment.
The situation has sparked discussion among legal professionals. Lenio Streck, a notable Brazilian lawyer, questioned the rationale of holding Starlink responsible for X’s charges. ” Spacecraft is a unique business… It did n’t even have a chance to defend itself”, Streck argued.
But, some, like law teacher Luis Henrique Machado, help de Moraes ‘ decision. He defended the charges imposed on X for refusing to eliminate flagged content, saying that the decision is reasonable in imposing the transfers in a forced manner.
Far-right activists who are accused of undermining Brazilian politics have repeatedly clashed with de Moraes over their repeated refusal to stop users. Musk has labeled de Moraes a “dictator” over his decisions, which culminated in the momentary expulsion of X in Brazil in August.
Despite its continued conflicts, X has only 22 million people in Brazil, compared to more popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Starlink, which began activities in the country in 2022, holds a 0.5 % share of Brazil’s world market.
