In recent months, X (formerly known as Twitter) has been at the center of a legal and technological debate in Brazil. Amid a scenario marked by decisions by the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) and efforts by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to comply with these orders, X has returned . However, the platform has provided an example of how technology can be used to circumvent legal blocks.
This post aims to clarify the main points of this case and its implications for the digital content market in Brazil.
What led to the blocking of social network X?
As we previously reported here on the blog , the initial decision to block X in Brazil came in August 2024, when Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF, ordered the suspension of the social network. The main reason was the company's refusal to appoint a legal representative in the country, as required by Brazilian laws.
Additionally, the platform has been accused of allowing the spread bc data of misinformation, which has contributed to increased tension between the social network and Brazilian authorities.
This legal measure, although with a clear objective of guaranteeing the legality of the company's operations in the country, generated a clash that went beyond the boundaries of law, involving complex technological issues.
Anatel and internet providers were responsible for implementing the platform blocking, a task that, as we will see, proved to be more challenging than expected.
Cloudflare and the role of technology in circumventing blocking
After the suspension order, X sought alternatives to keep the platform accessible, and one of the main strategies used was the use of reverse proxy technology, provided by the American company Cloudflare .
This service acts as a layer of protection between the platform server and users, masking IP addresses and making it difficult for internet providers to block them.
Cloudflare is a giant in the cybersecurity and content delivery (CDN) sector , serving more than 24 million websites worldwide. The company offers solutions to protect servers from cyberattacks and improve website performance, in addition to hiding IPs through reverse proxies, which complicated the application of the court order to block X in Brazil.
This scenario revealed how technology can be used strategically to circumvent legal decisions. Anatel, although it requested the blocking of the platform , found it difficult to implement the suspension due to the technology adopted by X. The use of dynamic IPs, which change constantly, made it practically impossible to completely block the network.
The impact on the digital market and regulatory implications
The suspension and subsequent return of X to Brazil raised important questions about the role of technology in digital regulation. The case set an important precedent, showing that while authorities have the ability to impose sanctions and blocking measures, technology advances in ways that allow companies to find ways to circumvent these restrictions.