Elon Musk's ex says 'inadvertently' returned to Brazil after ban

Some X users in Brazil say they can access the social media platform again, the BBC has learned.

This comes later The service, formerly known as Twitter, was banned in the country At the end of August.

The change was made possible after the firm, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, moved to servers hosted by Cloudflare, according to ABRINT, the nation's leading trade group for Internet service providers (ISP).

An X spokesperson told the BBC that the platform's recovery in Brazil was “unscientific” and came after it changed its server provider.

“While we hope that the platform will soon be accessible again in Brazil, we are continuing our efforts to work with the Brazilian government to return as soon as possible for the people of Brazil,” the X spokesperson added.

Brazilian telecom company Anatel did not respond to a request for comment.

ABRINT said on Wednesday that the new system uses dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) that changes constantly. In contrast, the previous system relied on specific IPs that could be blocked more easily.

Those dynamic IPs can also be linked to critical services within Brazil, said Basilio Rodríguez Perez, an adviser at Abrint.

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

This includes PIX, which millions of Brazilians rely on to make digital payments.

Some experts say Cloudflare is well-positioned to help Brazil enforce sanctions.

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

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

Cloudflare declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

The platform was banned in the country last month after it failed to meet a court deadline to appoint new legal representatives in the country.

He added that individuals or businesses still found to be accessing X using virtual private networks (VPNs) could be fined.

According to the order of the Supreme Court of Brazil, only those who access the platform through a VPN can be fined. “Today, no one is using any method to access Twitter other than typing the address on their computer or using the app,” said Mr. Autran, the Brazilian lawyer. “I don't think the Supreme Court can prosecute anyone for that.”

It marked the most significant development in a dispute between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Mr. Musk that began in April, when the judge ordered the suspension of dozens of X accounts accused of spreading false information.

In his August ruling, Justice Moraes gave companies including Apple and Google five days to remove X from their app stores and block its use on iOS and Android devices.

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