On Monday, Brazil’s Supreme Court confirmed a lower court’s decision to ban the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The decision stemmed from a court order to X’s Brazil office to block certain accounts spreading disinformation. When X refused to comply, the court imposed the ban.
With an NFL game scheduled for Friday in São Paulo, American media are concerned about how they will provide real-time updates to their followers. NFL insiders and reporters usually share updates and observations on X, but with the platform now banned, they will need to find alternative methods.
Using a virtual private network (VPN) to bypass the ban is subject to fines according to the ruling, and it is uncertain whether exceptions will be made for the NFL game.
X, which has 9.3 million active users in Brazil according to Canadian tech firm Voronoi, has been removed from Apple and Google Play stores. Its competitor, Bluesky, has experienced a significant increase in activity, with 500,000 new users joining by August 31.
Threads, Meta’s micro-blogging app connected to Facebook and Instagram, along with Bluesky, could be the primary alternatives for Brazilians facing X’s absence, particularly with a major sporting event taking place since the 2016 Olympics.
