X briefly accessible in Brazil despite court-ordered ban

Surprisingly, social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, briefly became accessible to users in Brazil despite a Supreme Court order to block it. The brief resurrection follows a heated standoff between Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes, leading to X’s nationwide shutdown last month. However, Brazilians quickly regained access to the platform, sparking cheers among users who saw it as Musk’s defiance of the law.

X later clarified that the restoration of access was unintentional. The platform’s Global Affairs team explained that a switch in network providers caused the issue, allowing some users in Brazil to log back in due to a rerouting of infrastructure supporting Latin America. The temporary fix was not deliberate, and the company expects the block to be reinstated soon.

According to the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (Abrint), the update routed users through third-party cloud services outside the country. This allowed them to bypass local restrictions without needing virtual private networks (VPNs).

Brazil’s telecom regulator, Anatel, is now working to enforce the original block more effectively. However, the situation remains complex, as blocking access to cloud services could inadvertently impact other critical sectors like government and financial services, posing additional challenges for regulators.