SAO PAULO -- The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Sunday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

The shutdown of Elon Musk’s platform began early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after the billionaire refused to appoint a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline set by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blockade represents an escalation in a long-standing dispute between Musk and de Moraes concerning free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Brazil has been a major market for X, boasting tens of millions of users.

“I've got the feeling that I have no idea what’s happening in the world right now. Bizarre,” entertainment writer and avid X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads, a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. “This Threads algorithm is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where the waiter keeps serving things I would never order.”

Bluesky, a social media platform that launched last year as an alternative to X and other established platforms, has seen a surge in Brazilian users in the past few days. The company reported on Friday that approximately 200,000 new users from Brazil have joined during this period, and the number “continues to grow by the minute.” Bluesky also noted that Brazilian users are setting new records for engagement, such as follows and likes.

Previous users of competing platforms welcomed Brazilians to their community. “Hello to everyone in Brazil,” a user shared on Threads. “We're much friendlier than Twitter here,” another user commented.

Platform switching is not unusual for Brazilians, who were enthusiastic adopters of Orkut, and when Orkut shut down, they readily embraced other platforms.

X doesn't hold the same level of popularity in Brazil as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. However, it remains a significant platform where Brazilians participate in political discussions and holds considerable influence among politicians, journalists and opinion leaders.

It's also where they share their humor. Many of the country’s most famous memes originate from posts on X before spreading to other social networks. Last week, for instance, Brazilians collaborated to create an outlandish storyline for a fictional telenovela, complete with a theme song composed using artificial intelligence tools.

The temporary shutdown has also impacted pop stars and their fanbases, many of whom have Brazilian supporters.

“Wait a lot of my fan pages are Brazilian!!! Come back hold up!!,” Cardi B stated on X Friday. A fan page dedicated to Timothée Chalamet, known as TimotheeUpdates, announced that it would temporarily suspend updates as all its administrators are Brazilian.

De Moraes stated that X will remain suspended until it complies with his directives. He also imposed a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) on individuals or organizations utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the platform. Some legal experts questioned the justification for this decision and its enforcement mechanism. Others characterized the move as authoritarian.

The Brazilian Bar Association issued a statement on Friday, expressing its intent to request the Supreme Court to review the fines levied on all citizens using VPNs or other methods to access X without proper due process. The bar argued that sanctions should never be imposed without ensuring an adversarial process and the right to a full defense.

“I have extensively used VPNs in nations with authoritarian regimes like China to maintain access to news outlets and social media platforms,” Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, remarked on the platform prior to its shutdown. “It never crossed my mind that this type of tool would be prohibited in Brazil. It’s a dystopian scenario.”

A search conducted on Friday on X revealed numerous Brazilian users inquiring about VPNs that could potentially enable them to continue utilizing the platform by creating the appearance of logging in from outside the country.

“Oppressors are attempting to transform Brazil into another communist dictatorship, but we will not yield. I reiterate: do not cast your vote for those who disrespect freedom of expression. Orwell was correct,” right-wing congressman Nikolas Ferreira, one of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s closest allies, published before X was taken offline. Musk responded with an emoji signifying agreement: “100”.

Ferreira is a 28-year-old YouTuber who garnered the highest number of votes among the 513 elected federal lawmakers in the 2022 election. De Moraes issued an order to block his social media accounts after a group of Bolsonaro supporters assaulted Brazil’s legislative body, presidential residence, and Supreme Court in January 2023 in an attempt to overturn the election results.

Lawmaker Bia Kicis stated “the consequences of Alexandre de Moraes’ actions against Elon Musk, X and Starlink will be detrimental to Brazilians.” She also urged Rodrigo Pacheco, the president of the country’s Senate, to intervene. Kicis has repeatedly called on Pacheco to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Supreme Court justice.

“We need to break free from this state of apathy and prevent the worst from happening,” the pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker, whose profiles were blocked by de Moraes in 2022, also said.

The former president expressed his disappointment on Instagram Saturday, describing X's exit from Brazil as “a setback for our freedoms and legal safeguards.”

“This not only impacts our right to free speech, but also undermines international businesses' confidence in operating in Brazil, with consequences ranging from national security to the reliability of information reaching our citizens,” Bolsonaro stated.

On Friday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva endorsed de Moraes’ ruling and criticized Musk for suggesting he is above the law during an interview with Radio MaisPB.

“Any individual, regardless of their location, who has financial holdings in Brazil, is subject to Brazilian law and its constitution. Consequently, if the Supreme Court has issued a ruling requiring compliance, individuals must either adhere to it or pursue alternative actions,” Lula stated. “It’s not because someone possesses significant wealth that they can disregard the law.”

Ana Júlia Alves de Oliveira, an 18-year-old student, shared that many young people like her no longer consume news from traditional sources like television or newspapers, relying solely on social media platforms like X for their news updates. Without this platform, she felt isolated.

“I feel somewhat disconnected from global events,” she admitted. “I found a lot of entertainment there too, so this is a new reality for me.”

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Ortutay reported from San Francisco and Biller from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press journalists Mauricio Savarese and Felipe Campos Mello contributed from Sao Paulo.