Rio De Janeiro: Elon Musk’s X has successfully circumvented a ban on the social media platform in Brazil through an automatic software update, according to a statement from the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT) released on Wednesday.
Access to the platform unexpectedly resumed overnight for many users in Brazil, Latin America’s most populous nation, following a Brazilian Supreme Court judge’s order for the ban last month amid a dispute with Musk. Upon discovering that X was operational again, Brazilian users expressed their surprise and speculation regarding the status of the ruling.
ABRINT later clarified that the update involved structural changes that allowed X to utilize IP addresses associated with Cloudflare, a cybersecurity firm based in San Francisco. This internet infrastructure provider collaborates with millions of websites, facilitating traffic routing for many.
The organization stated that these structural modifications “make blocking the app much more complicated.” Previously, X utilized specific IP addresses, enabling internet providers to trace the source of data. The newly adopted IP addresses are now shared with other legitimate services, including banks and major internet platforms, complicating any efforts to block X without impacting other online services.
Neither X nor Brazil’s Supreme Court responded immediately to requests for comment, and Cloudflare declined to provide a statement. Reports from local media indicated that the Supreme Court has requested Brazil’s telecom regulator, Anatel, to investigate the unauthorized reactivation of X.
Anatel responded by stating that it “continues to monitor the blocking order,” with findings reported directly to the Supreme Court.
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The Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, leading an initiative against fake news and hate speech, imposed the ban in August after Musk declined to appoint a legal representative in Brazil and failed to restrict certain accounts. Musk has criticized the judge’s actions as an overreach of state power and an infringement on free speech. In contrast, supporters of Moraes argue that these measures are vital for curbing misinformation on the internet.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Anatel reiterated that there had been no change to the Supreme Court’s ruling banning X, which was formerly known as Twitter. The statement underscores ongoing scrutiny over the platform’s unexpected return to accessibility in Brazil.
