As Brazil’s Supreme Court cracks down on X (formerly Twitter), the country’s microblogging landscape is experiencing a notable shift, with Bluesky emerging as a major beneficiary. The court's decision to ban X has resulted in a surge of new users for Bluesky, which reported an all-time high of 500,000 new sign-ups within just two days. The platform now holds the top spot on the free iPhone app chart in Brazil, surpassing Meta’s Threads.
Bluesky’s CEO, Jay Graber, celebrated the news, commenting, “Good job Brazil, you made the right choice.” This rapid growth is striking for a platform that only became fully accessible to the public in February. Despite its smaller scale compared to giants like X and Threads, Bluesky’s user base was already over 6 million as of May 2024.
Originally conceived in 2019 as a Twitter-supported initiative to develop an open, decentralized social protocol, Bluesky has since evolved into an independent public benefit corporation. Notably, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey departed from the board earlier this year.
Meanwhile, X has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Brazil’s Supreme Court, led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, over issues related to election disinformation. The court’s recent actions have included ordering X to block certain accounts and requiring the company to appoint a legal representative in Brazil or face a ban. With the ban now in effect, X faces additional threats of fines for users attempting to bypass the restrictions using VPNs.
As Brazil navigates these regulatory shifts, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signaled a pivot away from X, directing his followers to his other social media profiles, including his new presence on Bluesky. The evolving social media landscape in Brazil highlights the growing influence of emerging platforms amidst regulatory challenges faced by established players.
