A Brazilian judge ordered Wednesday the release of Facebook’s vice president for Latin America, Diego Dzodan, a day after he was arrested for refusing to hand over WhatsApp messages to police investigating an illicit drug case. In a statement released on Wednesday, the company said, “arresting people with no connection to pending law enforcement investigation is a capricious step and we are concerned about the effects for the people of Brazil and innovation in the country”. “Given this, you can not talk about violation of privacy, abuse or excess”.
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That didn’t stop Brazilian authorities from jailing Dzodan for obstructing their investigation. “I don’t think it sends a good message in the long term to technology companies seeking to establish and have services in Brazil”, he said. It encrypts them when they are in transit between users. IMEI numbers are usually unique and are used to identify mobile phones.
The standoff has drawn comparisons to the FBI’s battle with Apple following its request that the company unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists who carried out killings in San Bernardino, California.
Again, another Brazilian judge is enjoying his few minutes in the media spotlight by taking on Facebook, but this also highlights how out of touch Brazilian authorities are as well as their failure to understand that free flow of information is a crucial pillar of the national infrastructure.
“This information was required to produce evidence to be used in an organized crime and drug trafficking investigation”. “But what the Brazilian judiciary wants is just information that Facebook has”, says Ceroy.
In addition, Facebook claims it uses “strict processes” to determine whether government demands can or cannot be met. With that being said, it’s worth noting that there’s only one Facebook sales office In Sao Paulo and it’s not clear whether anyone working in that office has the authority to make decisions regarding Whatsapp and Facebook products or policies.
“We are disappointed with the extreme and disproportionate measure to have an executive of Facebook escorted to the police station due to a case involving WhatsApp, which operates separately from Facebook”. In December a judicial order forced Brazil’s telecommunications companies to block WhatsApp over its refusal to cooperate with a police inquiry.
“The Brazilians have spent several years complaining about the NSA”.
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Luiz Mazetto is executive editor of IDG Brazil.
