USA TODAY International Edition
WhatsApp blocked in Brazil for 2nd time
Government shutters app for 72 hours in dispute over data
WhatsApp has been blocked in Brazil for the second time over the Facebook messaging app’s refusal to comply with a court order to turn over information in a criminal investigation.
WhatsApp is being blocked for 72 hours, according to O Globo, a newspaper in Brazil. Brazil’s five wireless carriers cannot transmit WhatsApp data during the blackout period or risk fines of 500,000 reals, or about $ 140,000. Brazil is home to more than 100 million Whats App users.
WhatsApp says it does not have the data the court seeks. The WhatsApp blackout comes as governments around the world press for access to the vast amounts of data stored by technology companies.
“After cooperating to the full extent of our ability with the local courts, we are disappointed a judge in Sergipe decided yet again to order the block of WhatsApp in Brazil,” WhatsApp said in an emailed statement. “This decision punishes more than 100 million Brazilians who rely on our service to communicate, run their businesses, and more, in order to force us to turn over information we repeatedly said we don’t have.”
In December, WhatsApp was ordered blocked for 48 hours after failing to comply with a court order, but the blackout was lifted in about 12 hours.
In March, police detained then released Facebook executive Diego Dzodan after he spent nearly 24 hours in a Brazilian jail over a court order demanding data from WhatsApp in a drug- trafficking investigation.