A Brazillian Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques ordered the suspension of the Facebook Inc.’s Whatsapp service for 48 hours after WhatsApp declined twice to turn over data requested by the courts as part of a criminal case, the Sao Paulo Justice Court said in a statement. WhatsApp is the most-used app in Brazil. The recent survey showed 93 percent of the 2,000 people said they use the messenger. The second most used app is Facebook, with 79 percent.
According to Local TV News, the criminal case involves a drug trafficker linked to one of Sao Paulo’s most dangerous criminal gangs, the PCC, or First Command of the Capital. The trafficker allegedly used WhatsApp services while committing crimes.
Sao Paulo (Brazil) Court Order –
The 1st Criminal Court of São Bernardo Court ordered the telephone operators blocking the WhatsApp application for a period of 48 hours. The period starts to run from the 0 hours following the receipt of the letter of Justice.
The decision was issued in a criminal procedure, which runs in camera proceeding. That’s because WhatsApp did not respond to a court order of July 23, 2015. On August 7, 2015, the company was again notified, being fixed penalty in case of non-compliance.
As yet the company did not attend the court order, the prosecution requested the blocking of services for a period of 48 hours, based on the law of the internet Civil Marco, which was granted by Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques.
Zuckerberg (official facebook) and Jan Koum, WhatsApp’s CEO statements –
“This is a sad day for Brazil, I am stunned that our efforts to protect people’s data would result in such an extreme decision by a single judge to punish every person in Brazil who uses WhatsApp.” Facebook is “working hard” to reverse the block, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page. Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page.
“We are disappointed in the short-sighted decision to cut off access to WhatsApp, a communication tool that so many Brazilians have come to depend on, and sad to see Brazil isolate itself from the rest of the world.,” Jan Koum, WhatsApp’s CEO, said in Facebook post.