Yesterday a court in Sao Paulo ordered telecom operators in Brazil to completely block WhatsApp services in the country after it failed to comply with an order handed down in a criminal case. Telecom operators complied and WhatsApp was blocked in the country for one day, many users looked for alternatives and flocked to Telegram. Better judgement has prevailed though as a new judgement has been handed down today which lifts the Brazil WhatsApp ban just one day after it was enforced.
Judge Xavier de Souza, not the judge who handed down the initial ban, said that it does not appear to be “reasonable that millions of users are affected” even though the company has failed to provide information to the court in one criminal case, and that’s why he has ordered that the ban be lifted.
Reuters reports that the criminal case involves a drug trafficker who is believed to have used WhatsApp to conduct his crimes, he’s also believed to be connected to a notorious Sao Paulo gang.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had some words to say when the ban was handed down, in case you’re not aware Facebook owns WhatsApp, calling it a “sad day for Brazil” and saying that he’s stunned that the company’s efforts to protect people’s data has resulted in such an “extreme decision” by a single judge who deems it fit to punish every single WhatsApp user in Brazil.
Even if this judgement had not been handed down today the ban wouldn’t have lasted for long since as per the original injunction the ban was only placed for 48 hours. Users felt the pinch though, Brazil is one of the biggest markets for WhatsApp, where more than 100 million people use it as a free alternative to mobile plans.