Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) said it had found that social network X acted deliberately with the intention of violating the blocking order imposed by the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
According to the agency, the network will be blocked again after a joint action with telecommunications companies and the company Cloudflare, which was used by X to allow users to access the platform again on Wednesday.
“The conduct of the X network demonstrates a deliberate intention to disobey the STF order. Any further attempts to circumvent the blockade will merit the necessary measures from the agency,” Anatel reported.
On Wednesday, X temporarily restored its service in Brazil after being blocked since August 30 for violating court orders. The company said this restoration was “involuntary” and occurred due to a technical change in its network.
“A change of network provider resulted in a temporary and involuntary restoration of service for Brazilian users,” X said via its Global Government Affairs account. The company added that access to the platform would be restricted again “shortly.”
Despite the ban issued by Brazil’s Supreme Court, many Brazilian users were able to access the app on Wednesday. According to the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (Abrint), a recent update to the app makes it harder to block, as it uses dynamic IP addresses that change constantly. This feature makes it more difficult for internet providers to prevent access without affecting other online services.
Abrint, which represents regional internet providers, explained that many of X’s IP addresses are shared with other essential services, such as banks and trading platforms.
“It makes it impossible to block an IP without affecting other services (…) and the Internet as a whole,” the association said in a statement. It therefore suggested that fibre optic providers not act until they receive clear instructions from regulatory authorities.
Although the platform remained blocked on networks of large providers such as Vivo and Claro, it was accessible on fiber optic networks offered by small regional providers, which handle 53% of the fiber optic service in the country.
The social network’s suspension was taken due to X’s refusal to comply with court orders demanding the blocking of profiles suspected of spreading fake news.
Among those involved are figures close to former President Jair Bolsonaro and other far-right spokesmen. If someone accesses the platform using services such as VPN, a daily fine of 50,000 reais (about 10,000 dollars) is imposed.
The situation has been aggravated by the decision of the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, to withdraw X’s legal representative in Brazil, which led to a blockade by the Supreme Court.
Last week, De Moraes ordered the transfer of 18.3 million reais (about 3 million euros) from blocked bank accounts of X and Starlink, another company owned by Musk, as payment for fines accumulated by the social network.
This conflict is part of a broader investigation into the spread of fake news on social media, which also implicates former President Bolsonaro, who is being investigated for plotting a coup.
By then, Elon Musk had responded with harsh criticism of Judge De Moraes and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, publishing confidential documents from the judicial process.
According to Musk, these documents prove that the court orders against him are illegal.
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