VpnMentor’s Research Team observed a 1600% VPN usage in Brazil following the blockade of social media platform X in the country.

After the legal dispute between X, formerly twitter, and Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes resulted in Musk’s decision to close X’s operations in Brazil, Moraes gave a deadline to X to appoint a new legal representative in the country at which the social platform replied that they will not comply and which deadline expired at 7:07 PM Friday ET, wasting no time, after the deadline expired Moares ordered the Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency 24 hours to block access to X across the nation and pass the the order on to over 20,000 ISPs that operate in the country.

This drastic measure was accompanied by a daily fine of R$50,000 ($8,900) for individuals and companies attempting to circumvent the ban using VPNs and there were reports that Moares summoned Apple and Google to “implement technological barriers to prevent the use of the X app by users of the iOS and Android systems” which may be the reason for which Brazilian users experience difficulties while attempting to download VPNs from the App Store.

Despite the potential fines, with over 16 million Brazilian users on X, a large number of them recurred to the usage of VPN services to continue accessing the platform, leading to a significant increase in demand for these tools. VpnMentor’s Research Team closely monitored this increase in demand noting an increase of 469% on the very first day hours after the blockade and reaching 1600% the next day, on August 31st.

 

 

Brazilians X users seem to also be migrating to different platforms like X’s rival Bluesky, which reported one million new users in the day of the blockade and it’s also number one on the free iPhone app chart in the country, ranking even over Meta’s Thread.

The situation with X in Brazil sheds light on the power balance between tech giants and government bodies, underscoring the necessity for clear regulations and accountability. The influence that a single entity can have on public discourse and government decisions highlights the need for well-defined guidelines. Additionally, the growing use of VPNs to bypass censorship reinforces the importance of digital literacy and strong cybersecurity measures. It is vital to invest in tools that promote internet freedom, protect online privacy, and ensure access to restricted content in today’s digital environment.

Past VPN Demand Growths

VpnMentor’s Research Team has identified and documented various instances of surges in VPN demand linked to protests, social media bans, and limited access to specific applications or websites.

In a recent case, following Nicolas Maduro’s decision to ban X in Venezuela for 10 days we observed a 150% spike in the VPN demand in the country. This serves as a prime example of individuals leveraging VPNs to bypass government-imposed restrictions and safeguard their online privacy.

vpnMentor neither encourages nor condones using VPNs for illegal activities, such as bypassing laws or regulations.