Court orders suspension of all WhatsApp messaging in Brazil

The Court in Teresina, Piauí ordered on February 11 the countrywide suspension of all data traffic on Whatsapp messaging application. According to a statement issued by the State Public Security Secretariat, the ruling was due to a breach of previous court decisions by the messaging provider. The proceedings leading to the decision date back to 2013.

Police Chief Kátia Esteves, in charge of the case at the Civil Police Child Protection department, told journalists that the app may be taken down. She has not confirmed whether the decision is related to the circulation of inappropriate imagery of children and teenagers, saying the case is confidential and no further details can be released at this time.

“Under the Internet Civil Rights Framework (Marco Civil da Internet), any [Internet] service provided in Brazil with a local representative can be suspended. In this case, WhatsApp is represented in Brazil by Facebook,” Esteves explained. Whatsapp was taken over by Facebook last year, but Facebook claims it is managed independently and declined to comment on the case.

According to the Secretariat statement, the court order is addressed to infrastructure providers responsible for sending and receiving data, and to the connection providers, including mobile telecom carriers.

*With additional reporting by Leyberson Pedrosa, EBC Portal

Translated by Mayra Borges