The recent ban on the social media site X in Brazil has caused a lot of discussion about the risks that people using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) might face when they visit the site. On September 2, a panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court upheld the ban.
This caused a lot of people to talk about what the legal consequences are for using VPNs to get around the limit.After the decision, some people, like Bluesky co-founder Jack Dorsey, encouraged people to use VPNs, while others told people to be careful.
Brazil’s X Ban VPN Usage
At first, it seemed like Brazil wouldn’t punish VPN users who used X, but law experts don’t agree.Partner at Digital and Analogue Partners Catherine Smirnova made it clear that the court’s ruling means that “technological subterfuges” like Virtual Private Networks can’t be used to get to X. People who break the law could be fined 50,000 Brazilian reais (about $8,900) per day.
Using a VPN is usually okay in Brazil, but getting to X through one of these networks isn’t. The original court order said that VPN apps had to be deleted, but this requirement was later lifted. This means that using a Virtual Private Networks to view X is still legal.
It is still hard to make sure that the ban is followed. A VPN service, Surfshark, said that it would be hard to keep track of people who use VPNs to access X, but it wouldn’t be impossible. Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer of NordVPN, said that DNS data leaks and looking at patterns of user activity could possibly put Virtual Private Networks users at risk.
At the same time, X owner Elon Musk is still protesting the ban and wants Judge Alexandre de Moraes to be removed from office. Even though they were banned, many Brazilian officials have kept posting on X. One of them is Nikolas Ferreira, a lawmaker who supports Bolsonaro.
In response to the ban, Brazil’s President Lula changed his social media accounts to Bluesky. By September 3, 2.4 million new users had signed up, which was a major jump. There are worries about Bluesky’s legal position in Brazil because of the increase in activity. The platform is said to not have official representation in the country.
The situation keeps changing as users and officials try to figure out how to enforce Brazil’s X ban.
“We’re actively in touch with lawyers both in the U.S. and in Brazil to ensure that we maintain compliance.”
