X Lawyers Inform Brazil Court: 'Operational Faults' Permitted Blocked Users to Stay Active

Lawyers representing X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil told the Supreme Court that 'operational faults' have allowed users who were ordered blocked to stay active on the social media platform. The Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had asked X to explain why it allegedly did not fully comply with earlier rulings ordering the company to block certain accounts.

X's lawyers said the owners of the blocked accounts sought to circumvent the court-ordered restrictions by making new accounts, but X has not reactivated any of these users. A report by Brazil's federal police showed that accounts on X that top courts had ordered blocked were still active on the platform by early April, able to gain new followers and live-stream videos.

X said the police report had tracked six accounts out of over 200 accounts Brazilian top courts have ordered it to block since 2022. The company said these users took advantage of 'operational faults' and 'systemic vulnerabilities' within the platform to keep using it. X acknowledged that an operational failure made it possible to see the users' profile bio on the app, though the accounts appeared blocked on the website.

Why this matters: The case highlights the ongoing challenges social media platforms face in enforcing court-ordered content restrictions and the potential for users to exploit technical vulnerabilities to circumvent such measures. It also underscores the increasing scrutiny on X's content moderation practices in Brazil.

X said it had fixed the issues as soon as it had detected them. The Supreme Court Justice is investigating 'digital militias' that have been accused of spreading fake news and hate messages on social networks during the government of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as an alleged coup attempt by the former president.

Key Takeaways

• X's lawyers told Brazil's Supreme Court that 'operational faults' allowed blocked users to stay active.
• Blocked users exploited 'systemic vulnerabilities' to create new accounts and circumvent court-ordered restrictions.
• A police report showed that accounts ordered blocked were still active and gaining new followers.
• The case highlights challenges social media platforms face in enforcing court-ordered content restrictions.
• The Supreme Court is investigating 'digital militias' and an alleged coup attempt by former President Bolsonaro.