Some users were able to access X in Brazil on Wednesday despite a ban imposed on the social media platform by the country’s supreme court last month.

A number of users returned to the site, owned by Elon Musk after the network updated how its servers within the country are accessed.

X and Starlink were fined this week after they failed to comply with Brazil’s judiciary, as the tech billionaire engages in a dispute with Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes regarding content on the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Justice de Moraes also ordered the platform to be blocked nationwide after months of tension with Musk regarding free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation.

How have X users been able to access the platform in Brazil?

According to Abrint, the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers, the X update used cloud services provided by third parties, including the security firm Cloudflare. This allowed some Brazilian users to access X through routes outside the country, even without a virtual private network. The exact number of Brazilians accessing X remains unknown, according to Abrint.

Cited by the Guardian, Abrint board member Basilio Perez stated: “I believe the change was probably intentional. Why would X use a third-party service that ends up being slower than its own?

“You can’t just block Cloudflare because you would block half of the internet.”

X said in a statement on Wednesday that the shutdown in Brazil affected service to Latin America as a whole, so it swapped network providers. It added: “This change resulted in an inadvertent and temporary service restoration to Brazilian users.

“We expect the platform to be inaccessible again shortly.”

When X was shut down in Brazil, our infrastructure to provide service to Latin America was no longer accessible to our team. To continue providing optimal service to our users, we changed network providers. This change resulted in an inadvertent and temporary service restoration…

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) September 19, 2024

Former President Jair Bolsonaro marked the return of the social network by posting from his account. He has supported Musk in the dispute against Justice de Moraes, framing the ban as censorship imposed by an overreaching judge. He wrote: “I congratulate everyone for the pressure that keeps the wheels turning in defense of democracy in Brazil. Giving up is not an option, and you are the ones who are fueling a prosperous future for our country.”

– Parabenizo a todos pela pressão que fazem as engrenagens circular na defesa da democracia no Brasil. Desistir não e uma opção e os senhores é que alimentam um futuro próspero a nosso país.

-Nos últimos dias, os brasileiros testemunharam acontecimentos que lançaram ainda mais…

— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) September 18, 2024

Musk supported White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre’s stance on the situation after she responded to a question on censorship from Brazilian outlet TV Globo. She said: “When it comes to social media, we have been very clear that we think that folks should have access to social media. It’s a form of freedom of speech.” The Tesla CEO replied: “Unexpected, but appreciated.”

Featured image: Midjourney

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