Partial return of X to Brazil: circumvention of the judicial suspension

Some Brazilians have been able to reconnect to the X platform (formerly Twitter), although it has been officially suspended since the end of August by decision of the Supreme Court. This surprising situation was noted by AFP, which noted that the application was working via the cellular network and wifi for some users, while others remained blocked.

Partial suspension bypassed

The suspension of X, ordered by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, was intended to punish the platform for its refusal to implement several court decisions related to the fight against disinformation. However, an update to the mobile application carried out on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday appears to have changed the structure of the platform, complicating the blocking.

According to the Brazilian Association of Internet Service Providers (Abrint), X now uses the services of Cloudflare, a cybersecurity company that uses dynamic IP addresses. Unlike fixed IP addresses, these addresses change regularly, making them much more difficult to block. In addition, some of these addresses are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks or online platforms, making any attempt to block them without affecting other services tricky.

The Supreme Court indicated that it was "verifying information regarding access to X by certain users", and specified that it could be a question of "instability in the blocking of certain networks". For its part, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) announced that it was investigating these cases of unexpected access, while recalling that no change in the judicial decision had been made.

The hashtag "Twitter is back" quickly became one of the most used in Brazil, fueling debate about the platform's suspension.

A controversial suspension

The suspension of X, a social network used by around 22 million Brazilians, has sparked strong reactions. The platform's owner, Elon Musk, has strongly criticized Judge Moraes, calling him a "dictator." This position is shared by the Brazilian right, led by former President Jair Bolsonaro, who said that this measure had not only penalized a company, but also "millions of Brazilians." Bolsonaro was quick to reuse X to salute those who "put pressure to defend democracy."

The current government, led by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, however, supports the Supreme Court's decision, arguing that it is necessary to curb disinformation that is rife on social media.

To prevent users from circumventing the blockade through VPNs or other technological means, Judge Moraes threatened significant financial sanctions, of up to 50.000 reais (around 8.000 euros) per day for those who use these subterfuges.

The blocking of X in Brazil has reignited a broader debate about freedom of expression online. While some see the measure as an infringement of this fundamental right, others argue that it is necessary to regulate the spread of false information. The case highlights growing tensions over control of social media in a global context where disinformation is an increasingly pressing issue.