SAO PAULO (AP) — Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked Tuesday and said it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s order to block the billionaire’s social media platform, X.
Starlink said in a statement posted on X that it will heed Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ order despite him having frozen the company’s assets. Previously, it informally told the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed course.
“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” the company statement said. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent order violate the Brazilian constitution.”
And if that illegal activity is originating from outside the country and brought in through the dumb pipes then what?
Great question. I don’t know.
I think most would agree though, that the absence of a good solution does not justify a poor solution.
I guess that anyone in the country who seeks out and obtains the illegal content is committing a crime, so the government could go after them through traditional means. (Although seriously, are we really going to punish regular people for accessing a social media site?)
Admittedly, banning an entire website at the ISP is far more effective. However, I’d argue it’s effective in the same way that a cannonball is an effective flyswatter.
I think most would agree that you shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Is it a perfect solution? No. Is it superior to doing nothing? Definately.
A cannonball is a terrible fly swatter. Seriously, you would have a hell of a time killing a single fly with a cannonball.