Elon Musk’s X says its return in Brazil after ban ‘inadvertent’

Some X users in Brazil were once again able to access the social media platform on Wednesday despite a ban imposed by the nation’s judiciary last month.

Brazilian users swarmed the site after X, which is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, updated how its servers within the country are accessed.

The platform’s restoration in Brazil was unintended, an X spokesperson said in a statement late on Wednesday.

“To continue providing optimal service to our users, we changed network providers. This change resulted in an inadvertent and temporary service restoration to Brazilian users.”

“While we expect the platform to be inaccessible again in Brazil soon, we continue efforts to work with the Brazilian government to return very soon for the people of Brazil,” an X spokesperson said in a statement.

The company’s explanation caught some observers by surprise.

“Everything that happened during the day led us to believe that it was on purpose,” said Basílio Rodriguez Pérez, advisor to ABRINT, the country’s leading trade group for Internet Service Providers (ISP).

ABRINT said X moved to servers hosted by Cloudflare, and that the site appeared to be using dynamic internet protocols (IPs) that change constantly, indicating to him that the change in access to Brazilian users was purposeful. By contrast, the previous system had relied on specific IPs that could be more easily blocked.

Basílio Rodriguez Pérez, ABRINT advisor, said those dynamic IPs could also be linked to critical services within Brazil.

“Many of these IPs are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks and large internet platforms, making it impossible to block an IP without affecting other services.”

That includes the service PIX, which millions of Brazilians depend on to make digital payments.

Despite the change in server, some experts said Cloudflare was well-positioned to help Brazil reinforce the ban.

“Actually, I think the ban would be even more effective if Cloudflare really cooperates with the government,” said Felipe Autran, a constitutional lawyer in Brasilia, the country’s capital.

“I think they will, since they are such a huge provider for many Brazilian enterprises and also the government.”

Cloudflare declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

Brazil is said to be one of the largest markets for Mr Musk’s social media network.

The platform was banned in the country last month after failing to meet a court deadline to appoint a new legal representative in the country.

It marked the most significant development in a feud between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Mr Musk, which began in April, when the judge ordered the suspension of dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.

At one point, Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink – a subsidiary of spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX – declared it would allow its customers in Brazil to log onto X. Starlink backed down after the nation’s telecommunication agency threatened to revoke its license to operate there.

Observers in Brazil have expressed frustration with both X and the Brazilian government over the fractured relationship.

“It’s a game of chess and we are the pieces on the board,” Mr Pérez said. “But it’s not us who are playing. It’s the government and X who are playing.”