Bluesky gains a million users as Brazil bans X

Brazil's decision to ban X, formerly known as Twitter, has triggered a surge in users for Bluesky, a growing social media platform. Following a ruling by Brazil's Supreme Court, Bluesky reported gaining one million new users in just three days. Bluesky was first announced as a Twitter-backed project in 2019 to develop an open, decentralised social protocol.

Earlier on August 31, Bluesky shared that it was experiencing "all-time-highs for activity on Bluesky" and quickly topped the free iPhone app chart in Brazil, surpassing Meta's Threads, which ranked second. While the platform was initially launched in 2021, it only fully opened to the public in February 2024. The platform reached over 6 million users by May 2024.

In the midst of this showdown, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appeared to bid farewell to his followers on X, encouraging them to follow him on other platforms with Bluesky leading the list.