.png){kind=logo}
X returned to being accessible once more on Wednesday after briefly bypassing a Supreme Court block order through an update of the network, the social media platform in Brazil reported. Weeks of restricted access followed a legal battle between X owner Elon Musk and Brazil's Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Brazil's Supreme Court ordered mobile and internet providers to block X, citing its violation of Brazil's local data privacy laws and the platform's role in disseminating hate speech. The shutdown quickly affected millions of users in a matter of hours. But on Wednesday, many Brazilians returned to X, some celebrating what they saw as a defiance of the court's authority.
X has since explained that the service was not unblocked. Still, rather the blockage was accidental, as there had been a change in network providers that subsequently allowed access in certain parts of Latin America. "This was an unintended and temporary service restoration," the company said in a statement via its Global Affairs team.
The Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers, or Abrint, said that the network update in question rerouted some Brazilian users through third-party cloud services so that they could bypass the block without needing VPNs. "This was a temporary breakdown, but it opens the issues concerning the technical complexity of fully enforcing the block", Abrint said.
Brazil's Supreme Court upheld X's suspension on 2 September 2024, on the grounds of violating data privacy and for distributing toxic material, including false reports that Brazil's electronic ballot system was rigged. The ruling by Justice Alexandre de Moraes gave impetus to a robust call for stronger tech regulation, and it didn't hurt that President Lula was supportive, too. Starlink, owned by Musk, flatly refused to comply and appealed the decision, escalating the conflict one level. Read more
While it is only temporary, X is likely to be blocked once more in Brazil. According to reports, the country's telecom regulator, Anatel, is said to be working to inform the content delivery networks and providers of the order of the Supreme Court to restore the block. But just how long the reimposition of the block would take is uncertain.
One member, Basilio Perez of Abrint's board of directors, cautions about the technical complexity involved with intercepting cloud services. "You could take down other vital services such as government and financial operations, which run on the same infrastructure," he said.
