Brazil: Several users in Brazil have regained access to the X platform after the platform ban in the country at the end of August. The X social media became accessible again following an update to servers hosted by Cloudflare, according to Abrint, Brazil’s leading trade group for Internet Service Providers (ISP).
The restoration of the X platform in Brazil was unintentional as the platform’s ban came into effect after it failed to comply with a court order to appoint a new legal representative in the country and restrict certain accounts.
ABRINT clarified that the platform is now controlled by a dynamic IP system, which makes enforcement of the ban more challenging. The dynamic IPs may change constantly and serve as shared services such as banks and major internet platforms.
Basílio Rodriguez Pérez, an advisor at ABRINT, clarified that these new proceedings could complicate efforts to shut off X. Rodriguez Pérez explained that, “Many of these IPs are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks and large internet platforms, making it impossible to interrupt an IP without affecting other services.” This could affect key applications like PIX, a widely used digital payment platform in Brazil.
Felipe Autran, a constitutional lawyer in Brasilia, stated that Cloudflare could help the Brazilian government in strengthening the ban if it chooses to cooperate.
Autran also noted that under the law from Brazil’s Supreme Court, users accessing X through VPNs may face charges. Despite this, he argued that the majority of users are not using VPNs to access the platform, making enforcement difficult.
The ban on X is part of an ongoing fight between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Technology billionaire, Elon Musk. In April, the judge ordered the intermission of several accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation. In August, Justice Moraes gave tech giants like Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from their app stores and block the platform on iOS and Android devices.
Despite these efforts, X remains widely popular in Brazil, one of the largest markets for Musk’s social media network. However, with the platform’s future in Brazil uncertain, it remains to be seen whether further action will be taken by the Brazilian authorities.
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