Judge orders WhatsApp blocked in Brazil for 2 days

Separately from the court case, Brazilian phone companies have urged the government to restrict the use of free voice-over-internet services offered through WhatsApp.

On Wednesday, in the wake of discovering WhatsApp in proceeded with rebelliousness, Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques requested the 48-hour shutdown under terms of the nation’s Internet enactment, the announcement said.

A judge in Brazil has ordered a suspension of the popular messaging application WhatsApp to be lifted. It’s the most popular app in Brazil, but WhatsApp will not be available for two days after the decision from the First Criminal Court of Sao Bernardo do Campo in Sao Paulo, Brazil. WhatsApp is used by many of Brazil’s young and poor, who can’t afford standard plans from local carriers.

Zuckerberg called the blockage “a sad day for Brazil”, adding that the company is working to get it reversed. In 2013, Brazil introduced legislation that restricted monitoring of internet users; however there is an undercurrent of resistance to this bill of rights. It was the most downloaded app a year ago, and according to Facebook, more than 100 million Brazilians use WhatsApp.

In August Amos Genish, the president of Brazilian telecoms firm Vivo, accused WhatsApp of “pure piracy”.

As a result, Brazilian phone companies have tried to argue the service is illegal.

“I am stunned that our efforts to protect people’s data would result in such an extreme decision”, he said. Authorities said they can’t disclose details of the criminal investigation because it’s an ongoing case. The phone companies say that the free WhatsApp calls undermine their own phone services, according to Reuters. “They are going to think the problem is with their service provider”, Levy said.

Meanwhile, users are flocking to WhatsApp’s rival Telegram, which has picked up over 1 million new users in a day. However, Telebrasil, also known as the Brazilian Association of Telecommunications, said that the court’s decision has nothing to do with the interest of telecoms.