Use of a VPN to circumvent the prohibition could lead to hefty fines, according to media reports.

A judge banned the use of Elon Musk's social-media platform X in Brazil, according to media reports, the culmination of a months-long battle over allegations the platform was used to spread disinformation and Musk's free-speech retort.

X had ignored an order to remove some accounts. So, on Friday, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled that internet service providers must block X in the country of about 215 million people, according to the New York Times. Local media reported that anyone who uses a VPN to circumvent the ban could be subject to a fine amounting to 50,000 reais ($8,900), according to the BBC.

For cryptocurrencies, the decision cuts Brazilian users off from a platform that has for years served as the industry's town square. Crypto-supporter Jack Dorsey, who co-founded X when it was called Twitter, has supported two alternative platforms: Nostr and Bluesky, though he's distanced himself from the latter.

One of Bluesky's developers posted on that platform after the Brazilian decision: "We've never seen traffic like this."