Countries where social network X is banned

PARIS — With a ban on Facebook X that took effect Saturday, Brazil joined a handful of countries, most of them run by authoritarian regimes, that have taken similar measures against the social network.

In addition to permanent bans, some countries have temporarily restricted access to X, formerly known as Twitter, a site often used by political dissidents to communicate.

These countries include Egypt during the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, Turkey in 2014 and 2023, and Uzbekistan during its 2021 presidential election.

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Here is a list of some others.

China

Beijing banned Twitter in June 2009 — after which it spent much of the 2010s cementing its prominence in Western media and politics.

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The blockade comes two days before the 20th anniversary of the government’s crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in the capital’s Tiananmen Square.

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Since then, many Chinese have begun using local alternative social media such as Weibo and WeChat.

Iran

In June 2009, Iran’s disputed presidential election led to a wave of protests and Twitter was blocked by Tehran.

Since then, however, the network has been used to relay information about dissident movements to the outside world, including demonstrations since late 2022 against Iran’s crackdown on women’s rights.

Turkmenistan

In the early 2010s, the isolated Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan blocked Twitter, along with many other foreign online services and websites.

Authorities in Ashgabat closely monitor citizens’ use of the internet, which is provided by state-run monopoly TurkmenTelecom.

North Korea

Pyongyang launched its own Twitter account in 2010 to attract foreigners interested in the country.

But since April 2016, the app has been blocked along with Facebook, Youtube, and gambling and pornography websites.

Under the North Korean regime, internet access, except for a few government websites, is heavily monitored by the government and only accessible to a few senior officials.

Myanmar

X has been blocked since February 2021, when authorities targeted the app for opponents of the military coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Since then, the military junta has tightly controlled internet access in Myanmar.

Russia

Moscow restricted access to Twitter from 2021, complaining that the site allowed users to spread “illegal content.”

The formal ban was introduced in March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Many Russian users continue to connect to X through VPN services so they can bypass the blockade.

Pakistan

X has been banned since the parliamentary elections in February this year.

Pakistan’s government, backed by the military, said the blockade was for security reasons.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, now in jail, used the platform to spread widespread allegations of fraud against his opposition party.

Venezuela

Nicolás Maduro, who won the July presidential election despite serious suspicions of fraud, ordered a 10-day suspension of X’s visit on August 9 as security forces violently suppressed nationwide demonstrations.

After the 10-day period, the blockade remains in effect.

Brazil

The country’s block on X came from the judiciary, through Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

He highlighted moves to reactivate accounts that had been suspended by Brazilian court order.

Users who connect to X via VPN will face a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) per day.