Elon Musk’s X bypasses court-ordered ban in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP): Social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, again became accessible to numerous users in Brazil on Wednesday via an update to its communications network that bypassed a block imposed by Brazil’s Supreme Court.

The X update utilized cloud services from third parties, specifically the security firm Cloudflare.

This enabled some Brazilian users to access X through alternative routes outside the country even without using a virtual private network (VPN), according to Abrint, the Brazilian association of internet service providers.

An X spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday that the platform’s restoration in Brazil was unintentional.

“To continue providing optimal service to our users, we changed network providers. This change resulted in an inadvertent and temporary service restoration to Brazilian users.”

“While we expect the platform to be inaccessible again shortly, we continue efforts to work with the Brazilian government to return very soon for the people of Brazil,” it said.

Brazil’s Supreme Court last month ordered a ban on the popular platform domestically in a dispute over free speech and misinformation.