Local phone companies have been complaining loudly that Brazilians have been dropping their service plans in favor of using WhatsApp’s free call service. Hence, failure to respond to the court’s order led the prosecution to ban WhatsApp in the country for 48 hours.
Advertisement
The court in Sao Paulo made the order because it said WhatsApp had repeatedly failed to co-operate in a criminal investigation. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, which means that messages sent using the app are only readable on a user’s phone, not Facebook or WhatsApp servers.
“I am staggered that our effort to secure individuals information would bring about such a great choice by a solitary judge to rebuff each individual in Brazil who utilizes WhatsApp”, he included.
In his note, Zuckerberg did not say the exact reason for the blockade, but hinted that it has something to do with protection of users’ privacy. Users in Chile and Argentina were also affected by the block.
WhatsApp has been blocked for 48 hours in Brazil following a court order.
According to Band News TV, the criminal case involves a drug trafficker linked to one of Sao Paulo’s most unsafe criminal gangs, the PCC, or First Command of the Capital.
They argued to the government that WhatsApp’s free calling option has resulted in a marked decrease in people signing up to mobile phone contracts.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of the social networking giant Facebook, the company, which possesses WhatsApp, has described the prohibition of the most popular messaging app in Brazil a “sad day”.
Meanwhile, Telegram, a rival messaging service which is popular for its security features, has gained excess traffic in Brazil since the court’s ruling passed.
Koum also noted that nine in ten Brazilian doctors used WhatsApp to talk to their patients. Most of the details regarding the case has been kept in hiding by the judge, which is allowed by a Brazilian court.
Advertisement
While the app was still blocked, the directors of WhatsApp and Facebook criticized the move. “Brazilians have always been among the most passionate in sharing their voice online”, Zuckerberg said in a statement.
