After weeks of legal sparring between Elon Musk and Brazil’s Justice Moraes, the abrupt lifting of the Starlink and X ban raised more questions than answers. A $3.31 million fine, though hefty, seems too modest a sum to have driven such a reversal.

The real story might be found in the streets and online. Thousands of Brazilians openly protested, while millions quietly defied the restrictions by using VPNs to stay connected.

Did Moraes cave to mounting pressure? Was it the protests, the VPN-enabled digital rebellion, or the looming political unrest that forced him to retreat?