Brazilians Turn To VPNs As Supreme Court Upholds Ban On X
Access to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, was significantly restricted across Brazil by Sunday night following a Supreme Court order directing internet service providers to block the site. The move comes as part of an escalating clash between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Brazil’s judiciary, led by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
On Monday, a majority of the Supreme Court panel upheld the ban on X, reinforcing a decree by Justice de Moraes aimed at curbing the spread of hate speech and disinformation allegedly linked to far-right groups on the platform. Musk’s refusal to comply with demands to remove this content has sparked a months-long public feud between him and de Moraes, culminating in this nationwide block.
The court’s decision also included a strict penalty for those attempting to bypass the ban. Brazilians caught using a VPN to access X could face a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (approximately €8,288.77), a hefty sum that surpasses the average annual income in the country.
Tensions heightened further when the president of Brazil’s telecom agency, Anatel, revealed that Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, had refused to comply with the court’s directive. Starlink reportedly demanded the release of its frozen assets as a condition for compliance.
Justice de Moraes, who has been a vocal critic of Musk’s platforms, froze Starlink’s local bank accounts in an effort to enforce the ban and collect €2.79 million in fines that X had accrued for failing to block specific accounts. Despite these measures, many Brazilians have turned to VPNs and Starlink’s satellite internet service to maintain their access to X, underscoring the limited impact of the official ban.
Musk has publicly condemned the asset freeze as “illegal,” insisting that SpaceX and X are separate entities, with him owning only 40% of SpaceX. In response to the legal actions, Starlink petitioned for the unblocking of its assets, a request that was swiftly rejected by the court. Undeterred, Musk vowed to continue providing free internet access to Starlink’s 250,000 Brazilian customers, many of whom live in remote or Indigenous areas of the Amazon.
In defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, VPN usage in Brazil has surged by up to 1,600%, according to data from VPNMentor. Additionally, alternative social media platforms like Bluesky and Threads have experienced a significant increase in users, with Bluesky reporting over 500,000 new sign-ups in just a few days.
While X may not hold the same popularity in Brazil as platforms like Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok, its ban has left many users feeling isolated. Several Brazilian users, speaking to The Associated Press, expressed a sense of disconnection from the global community. This sentiment is echoed by Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, who described the situation as “dystopian” in a post on X before the ban was enforced.
Despite the strong public reaction and the widespread use of workarounds like VPNs, the Supreme Court remains resolute in its decision. Brazilian officials have even warned that they could seize equipment from Starlink’s 23 ground stations if the company continues to defy the court order, and hinted at the possibility of revoking Starlink’s operating license in Brazil.
As the battle between Musk and the Brazilian judiciary continues, it remains to be seen whether the billionaire’s determination will withstand the mounting legal and financial pressures from the Brazilian authorities.
