Official announcements or rulings from Brazil's Supreme Court

Brazil Lifts Three-Week Ban on Elon Musk's X, Users Access Platform Without VPNs

Sep 18, 2024, 10:58 PM

Brazil has lifted its ban on the social media platform X, allowing users to access the platform without the need for VPNs. This follows an automatic update to X's software, which enabled the platform to bypass the ban by using Cloudflare's services to dynamically change its IP addresses. The move has made it difficult for Brazil's regulator, Anatel, to block the platform, as the new IP addresses are shared with other legitimate services such as banks. The ban, which was enforced by Brazil's Supreme Court, had threatened users with fines of up to 50,000 reais ($9,000) per day for attempting to access the platform. Prominent right-wing politicians in Brazil continued to post on X despite the ban. The Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT) explained that the update to Cloudflare software facilitated the platform's return. However, the restoration of services has been described as inadvertent and temporary. The ban lasted for three weeks and was circumvented under the ownership of Elon Musk.