Users of the social network X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil were able to access their accounts, despite the STF's decision to suspend the social network in the country (Image: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino)
A social network update X (old Twitter) made the platform accessible to many users in Brazil this Wednesday (18), circumventing a decision by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that had suspended the use of the application in the country after failure to comply with court orders by billionaire Elon Musk's company.
Users of the platform reported access to their accounts since this morning. One of those who took advantage of the breach was former president Jair Bolsonaro, who, in a long post, indirectly criticized STF minister Alexandre de Moraes, who was responsible for the decision to block the platform.
According to the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (Abrint), the X update used cloud services offered by third parties, allowing some Brazilian users to take a route outside the country to access X, even without a virtual private network.
For now, according to the entity, the number of Brazilians accessing the social network is unknown, according to Abrint.
“I believe the change was probably intentional. Why would X use a third-party service that ends up being slower than its own?” Basílio Perez, an advisor at Abrint, told Reuters.
In a note, the entity also said that the change from X to a new system, Cloudflare, makes it difficult to block the social network because the IP — the electronic address that identifies the computer — changes frequently and dynamically.
Earlier, a source at the Supreme Court had stated that the social network's blockade remained in effect and that the STF was checking information about some users' access to X. “Apparently it is just an instability in the blocking of some networks,” he stated.
X did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), responsible for ordering operators to comply with the decision to suspend X, said in a statement that it will continue to monitor the blocking order. “The results of this monitoring are reported directly to the STF,” it said.
X Access
According to reports, users were able to access X from certain cell phones. Some people also said they were receiving notifications from accounts they don't even follow with content that was contrary to Alexandre de Moraes, who was responsible for determining the suspension of the social network.
The platform was blocked in Brazil at the end of last month by order of Moraes, in a decision later ratified by the First Panel of the STF.
Members of the far right and Musk himself considered the ruling an attack on freedom of expression.
Last week, Moraes also ordered the transfer of R$18.35 million that were in blocked accounts of the companies X and Starlink, also owned by Musk, to the Union's coffers, to pay fines for non-compliance with court orders.
The amounts had been blocked by order of Moraes for the payment of fines that had been imposed on platform X due to successive failures to comply with court orders, such as the blocking of accounts and the removal of pages disseminating fake news.
The social network also ignored a court order to appoint a legal representative for the social network in the country.