While the Brazilian justice system ordered the suspension of the Internet (Abrint). “Application X has been updated. (…) overnight, resulting in a significant change in its structure” AND “makes blocking the app much more complicated”we can read in a press release from Abrint.
On Wednesday, some Brazilians were surprised to regain access to the old Twitter mobile app via their cellular network and Wi-Fi, while for other users access remained impossible, as it has been since late August. A judge of the Federal Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, then ordered the suspension of
According to Abrint, “The new system uses IP addresses that change constantly”AND “Many of these IPs are shared by other legitimate services, such as banks, so it is impossible to block one of these IP addresses without affecting other services.”.
“Instability in the blocking of certain networks”
Internet service providers in Brazil are located “in a delicate situation”Abrint explains, not being able to afford to act against X without the official authorization of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), at the risk of seeing “legitimate business” clogged. That’s why ISPs say “wait for technical analysis and instructions from Anatel to act”.
The authorities seem to have been taken by surprise. The Federal Supreme Court “checks information about access to X by certain users. Apparently, this is simply an instability in blocking certain networks”The high court said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Anatel told AFP that it was investigating the “reported cases” access to X, emphasizing that there had been no “change of mind” regarding the blockade. The hashtag Twitterisback (“Twitter is back”) was one of the most used on Wednesday in Brazil.
Elon Musk had criticized the suspension, calling it “dictator” Judge Moraes, as well as the Brazilian right led by former head of state Jair Bolsonaro. However, the decision was supported by the government of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Jair Bolsonaro was quick to publish again on X. “I congratulate all those who are pushing to defend democracy in Brazil”He wrote, believing that“By banning the country’s largest social network, it is not one company that has been punished, but millions of Brazilians”.
Other users had fun. “Judge Alexandre de Moraes: I didn’t use a VPN to get in here, I just opened my daily abstinence ritual app and saw that it worked”wrote a user on X. “I’m not 50 [000 reais] to pay for this joke”He added. By blocking X, Judge Moraes had threatened people who resorted to “technological subterfuge” to bypass the block, such as using virtual private networks (VPNs).
The suspension of the platform in Brazil, where it had some 22 million users, sparked a lively debate in Latin America’s largest country and beyond about the limits of freedom of expression on social media.
