Can we support Free Speech in Brazil?

Many are aware that—as of today—the dictatorial Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, has barred X/Twitter from the country.

Minister of the Supreme Court, STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

This came about because X will “not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.” (Seems legit!) Then, “when we [X] attempted to defend ourselves in court, Judge de Moraes threatened our Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment. Even after she resigned, he froze all of her bank accounts.” (What a Bully!)

Because X has yet to appoint another sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered by the government (yes, this is required by law) X has been barred. Also, Brazilians are threatened with a large fine for accessing X through a VPN. (Dictator!)

What is a VPN?

In very simple terms, a VPN connects your PC, smartphone, or tablet to another computer (called a server) somewhere on the internet, and allows you to browse the internet using that computer's internet connection. So if that server is in a different country, it will appear as if you are coming from that country, and you can potentially access things that you couldn't normally.

A VPN should also encrypt the data from the user to VPN server, making it harder—but not impossible—for government tracking. (Military grade encryption is best!)

I wonder if the threat of large fines to civilians is to deter the majority because it is difficult to track large numbers of premium quality VPN users.

Tips for Brazilians.

If Brazilians are considering “running the gauntlet” then some of the tips below might help them be safer. Remember, nothing is 100%. (Many of these tips are from https://nordvpn.com/blog/can-you-be-tracked-with-a-vpn/ though there are many websites with similar advice. My VPN comes with my Anti-Virus program.)

  • Use a premium quality, FOREIGN-based VPN (Not one based in Brazil.)

  • Enable the VPN Kill-Switch. (If the connection to the VPN drops, the kill switch stops all data flow and avoids detection.)

  • If possible get a VPN with a “no-logs” policy. (Where the VPN does not maintain a record of accessed websites.) ProtonVPN claims to have one of the best “no-logs” policies because Switzerland has some of the strongest data privacy laws in the world.

  • Beware “back-doors.” (In China, government approved VPN’s have government access.)

  • Apparently NordVPN makes it difficult for observers to spot the use of their VPN.

  • Ensure data is encrypted—military grade if possible.

  • Change the country setting to outside Brazil (or else will be directed to a server within Brazil!)

  • Regularly change the country setting.

  • Get an anonymous X account.

  • NEVER post personal photos & video’s (and some documents) which can have a digital signature.

  • Block Cookies. Also, clear Cookies and Cache before & after use.

  • Use a safer browser than Chrome/Google and Edge/Microsoft which track users. (Apparently, FIREFOX, TOR, EPIC, COMODO DRAGON & BRAVE are all good options.

  • Do not connect to the internet through your Google account.

  • Do not use a business/corporate VPN as an employee. (There might be tracking settings.)

  • Check for Malware and Spyware.

  • If you are not sure, do not put yourself at risk!

RISKS

Unfortunately “a VPN won’t protect you against targeted attacks. For example, the NSA’s Computer Network Operations(new window) unit (formerly Tailored Access Operations) uses a wide variety of “hands-on” surveillance techniques(new window), such as breaking into targets’ houses to physically access devices or compromise their routers. They’ve even interrupted supply chains to infect software and hardware with spyware.”

Calls for non-Brazilians to set their VPN to Brazil

There are also calls for non-Brazilians to set their VPN to Brazil, in the hope that it will confound the censors. Does this work? No idea! (I need an expert to weigh in on this question. Someone please DM me on X if you have an answer!)

My first thought is that it cannot harm the situation, though some might take false hope then get caught and be fined $8,800 per day—an enormous amount for most Brazilians.

I have changed my phone and desk-top VPN to Brazil, in the faint hope it will at least tick-off Moraes in some way!

Kevin Hay.

You can follow Kevin on 𝕏 / Twitter @ kevinhay77

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