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Brazil Lifts Ban on Social Media Platform X, 25 Million Users Benefit from Cloudflare Update

Sep 18, 2024, 05:17 PM

Brazil has lifted the ban on the social media platform X, allowing its 25 million users to access the service without needing a VPN. The ban, initially imposed by the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) due to concerns about misinformation influencing the 2024 elections, was circumvented by X's update to Cloudflare software, which uses dynamic IP addresses shared with other legitimate services. This update made it challenging for Brazilian regulators to block the platform without affecting other critical services. Despite the ban, prominent right-wing politicians continued to use the platform, citing free speech. The platform's return has not been officially confirmed by the courts. Users who logged on using VPNs risked fines of up to 50,000 reais a day (~$9,000).