Brazil institutes $9,000 per day fine for using VPN to access X

The Brazilian government is issuing a fine of $9,000 per day for using a virtual private network to access X as part of its crackdown on the website.

On Friday, Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes banned X in Brazil after a monthslong dispute, estimated to affect tens of millions of users. To ensure the effectiveness of the order, de Moraes announced a fine of the Brazilian real equivalent of about $9,000 per day, G1 reported .

VPNs are used to hide users' IP addresses and make it appear as if they reside in another country. They are widely used by users in countries such as Russia to circumvent government bans on certain websites.

Most VPNs are banned in countries such as Russia, China, Belarus, North Korea, and Iran. However, they are nearly impossible to track, so many users use them nonetheless.

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While VPNs are not banned in Brazil, Friday's court order bans their use to access X, a unique policy.

X was banned after it refused to name another legal representative to the country, as demanded by court order, over fears of arrest. X CEO Elon Musk took to the app to denounce de Moraes, repeatedly comparing him to Harry Potter villain Voldemort.