Social media platform X became accessible to many users in Brazil on Wednesday as an update to its communications network circumvented a block order by the country’s Supreme Court.
TakeAway Points:
- On Wednesday, a communications network update for the social media site X allowed many users in Brazil to access it, despite a Supreme Court of Brazil block order.
- The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered Brazil’s mobile and internet service providers to ban the platform last month, following a months-long legal battle between Elon Musk, the owner of X, and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Users of the platform were immediately cut off.
- The Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (Abrint) explained that the X update had routed some Brazilian users through third-party cloud services outside the country, allowing them to access the platform even without a virtual private network (VPN).
Brazilians to access X
Many Brazilians were able to access social networking platform X on Wednesday after the company updated its communications network, evading the Supreme Court of Brazil’s block order.
Last month, after a months-long dispute between X owner Elon Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court issued the controversial suspension orders late Friday after warning on Wednesday that Musk and X had 24 hours to appoint a legal representative for their business in Brazil or face “penalty of suspension of activities.” X had earlier defied court requests to take down accounts or posts that it said violated Brazil’s laws on political misinformation and hate speech online.
The court also froze the financial assets of another Musk-led business, satellite internet service Starlink, in Brazil to ensure his social network would pay its fines.
Brazil’s telecoms regulator, Anatel, instructed internet service providers, including Starlink, to block access to X in the country until it complies with the court orders.
But Brazilians flooded back onto the platform on Wednesday, with some cheering what they called a manoeuvre by Musk to flaunt the law.
But X later said that a switch in network providers had resulted in “an inadvertent and temporary service restoration” for Brazilian users.
X’s Global Affairs team, in a post to the social media platform, said the switch had been spurred by the shutdown, as it meant certain infrastructure for the rest of Latin America was no longer accessible.
Brazilians’ access to the platform, however, will likely be blocked again soon, X added.
The Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (Abrint) explained that the X update had routed some Brazilian users through third-party cloud services outside the country, allowing them to access the platform even without a virtual private network (VPN).
Anatel takes action to block X again in Brazil
Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, is working to notify content delivery network providers and telecom companies to block access again to X in Brazil, though it’s not clear how long it will take for providers to comply with the order, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Any revised order from Anatel, which is responsible for implementing the court ruling, will need to be worded carefully, said Basilio Perez, a board member at Abrint.
Blocking cloud access is complex and could jeopardize government agencies and financial services providers, he added.
