Up to 1600% VPN Demand Surge in Brazil After X Ban

vpnMentor’s Research Team observed a 1,600% increase in VPN usage in Brazil following the country’s blockade of social media platform X.

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 requested X appoint a new legal representative by August 30. The social platform refused to comply, claiming Moraes’ demands were illegal. Immediately after the deadline expired (at 7:07 PM ET on Friday), Moraes gave the Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency 24 hours to block access to X across the nation. The agency then passed the order along to the over 20,000 ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that operate in the country.

Any individuals and companies attempting to circumvent the ban using VPNs would be fined R$50,000 (8,900 USD) per day. According to the reports, 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”. This may be the reason why Brazilian users experience difficulties while attempting to download VPNs from the App Store.

Despite the potential fines, a large number of the over 16 million Brazilian users on X turned to VPN services to continue accessing the platform. vpnMentor’s Research Team closely monitored the demand for these tools and noticed an increase of 469% on the very first day, just hours after the blockade. VPN demand reached 1,600% the next day, on August 31st.

Brazilians X users seem to also be migrating to different platforms. For instance, Bluesky, one of X’s rivals, reported one million new users on the day of the blockade. Bluesky at the moment the #1 free app on the Apple store in the country, ranking even over Meta’s Threads.

The situation with X in Brazil sheds light on the power dynamics 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.

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 Nicolás Maduro’s decision to ban X in Venezuela for 10 days, we observed a 150% spike in 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.