Brazil blocks WhatsApp, overturns decision within hours

“It has not been shown reasonable that millions of users should be affected as a result of the company’s inertia”, he said.

According to a spokesman from the court which lifted the ban, “Judge de Souza found that there were other means to compel the company to comply with the justice demands, without causing problems to so many people, who have nothing to do with the case”.

“This is a sad day for Brazil”, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page before the reversal was announced.

WhatsApp was ordered on a number of occasions over the summer to halt its service, reportedly due to a combination of lobbying from the telecoms industry and criminal activity rife within the messaging app. “Brazilians have always been among the most passionate in sharing their voice online”, Zuckerberg’s said in his post. The app that is used by over 90 million people in Brazil – and same percentage of internet users – was quickly unblocked. The suspect allegedly used WhatsApp to commit crimes. SindiTelebrasil said it and its members are not party to the case.

Media outlets use it to obtain tips, photos and video from readers; families have chat groups to share snapshots of kids and organize family dinners; taxi drivers are constantly trading advice via WhatsApp on where traffic is bad and where clients are waiting. “I have two WhatsApp groups with my staff”, said Luciana Rego, a manager at a household care products company.

The blockage imposed after WhatsApp refused to comply with a judicial order twice, the court said, without elaborating.

Telegram Messenger, a competitor app that includes messages and voice, said on its Twitter account that some of its SMS gateways crashed after 1.5 million new users joined the service in Brazil since Wednesday.