Bluesky, a decentralized microblogging platform, has experienced a significant surge in user growth in Brazil following the country’s ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X.
Rapid Growth After X Ban
On September 1, Bluesky Social, also known as Bsky, announced through a post on X that it had gained one million new users within just three days. This sudden increase followed the Brazilian Supreme Court’s decision to suspend X in the country on August 30, after Musk refused to appoint a legal representative for the platform in Brazil.
The day after the suspension, a Bluesky developer reported a dramatic spike in traffic as users flocked to the platform. “For anyone interested in how it’s going with the Brazil migration to Bluesky, we’re consistently at 15x our normal daily peak traffic,” the developer noted.
Bluesky’s Rising Popularity
Bluesky, which operates as a decentralized social media platform and public benefit corporation, was created by Jay Graber and is based in the United States. The platform was initially announced in 2019 by Jack Dorsey and became publicly available in February 2024. As of September 2024, Bluesky reported having over 7.6 million users.
Legal Battle Between X and Brazil
The ban on X stems from an ongoing legal battle between the social media company and Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The conflict escalated when X refused to block certain accounts as part of a broader effort by Moraes to combat alleged election disinformation. On September 2, a panel of five Supreme Court justices upheld the ruling to suspend X in Brazil.
The censorship of X in Brazil sparked strong reactions within the crypto community. Some members expressed concerns that other countries might follow Brazil’s example, potentially leading to further censorship of social media platforms worldwide.
