On Wednesday, many users in Brazil regained access to the social media platform X following an update that bypassed a Supreme Court-imposed block. The update leveraged third-party cloud services, enabling Brazilian users to access X via international routes without needing a virtual private network (VPN), as reported by Abrint, the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers.
The exact number of users who regained access remains unclear, according to Abrint. X has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the update.
Basilio Perez, a board member at Abrint, speculated to Reuters that the use of third-party services, which might be slower than X’s own network, suggests a deliberate strategy by X. “I believe the change was probably intentional. Why would X use a third-party service that ends up being slower than its own?” he said.
This development comes in the wake of a prolonged legal battle between X’s owner, Elon Musk, and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes, which led to the Supreme Court’s decision last month to mandate Brazil’s ISPs and mobile providers to block the platform. The platform was blocked within hours of the order.
Perez highlighted the complexities of blocking access via cloud services, noting that such measures could potentially affect essential services, including government and financial sectors. He emphasized that any future directives from Brazil’s national telecommunications agency, Anatel, which oversees court orders, would need to be more precise.
Anatel is currently coordinating with content delivery networks and telecom companies to reinstate the block on X in Brazil, as per sources familiar with the matter.
