Elon Musk’s X Skirts Brazil Ban with Software Update

On Wednesday, a Brazilian association of internet providers claimed that Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, circumvented a court-ordered ban in Brazil through an automatic software update, as reported by Bloomberg.

The platform, which had been blocked by a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling, unexpectedly became accessible for many users across the country overnight. This led to widespread speculation on Wednesday morning among Brazilian users about whether the ban had been lifted.

According to the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT), the platform’s update involved a structural change that rerouted traffic through IP addresses associated with Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based cybersecurity company. Cloudflare supports millions of websites by managing their internet traffic.

ABRINT explained that these changes made it more challenging to block the platform. Previously, X used specific IP addresses that internet providers could target to restrict access. However, many of the new IP addresses are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks and major internet platforms, making it difficult to block X without disrupting those services as well.

X, formerly known as Twitter before Musk’s 2022 acquisition, stated that the restored access in Brazil was “inadvertent and temporary” and occurred when the company switched network providers after the ban. An X spokesperson added, “While we expect the platform to be inaccessible again in Brazil soon, we are working with the Brazilian government to restore access as quickly as possible.”

Cloudflare declined to comment on the matter, and the Brazilian Supreme Court did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, local reports indicated that the court had asked Brazil’s telecom regulator, Anatel, to explain X’s unauthorized return. Anatel said it was continuing to monitor the situation and reporting its findings to the Supreme Court.

The platform was initially banned by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in August after Musk refused to appoint a legal representative in Brazil and failed to restrict certain accounts. Moraes, known for his efforts against misinformation and hate speech, has been criticized by Musk, who views the court’s actions as an attack on free speech and an example of state overreach. Moraes’s supporters argue that these measures are necessary to combat harmful content online.

Earlier on Wednesday, Anatel confirmed that there had been no change to the Supreme Court’s decision to ban X in Brazil.