Users complain about blocking WhatsApp in Brazil
Services provided by WhatsApp message app are already blocked throughout the country under the order of judge Marcel Montalvão from the northeastern state of Sergipe, for the same reason that led to the imprisonment of the Facebook Latin America vice-president in March this year: the company has not complied with court orders to provide evidence in a confidential investigation into drug trafficking. Initially, the app is supposed to be blocked for 72 hours, but if an injunction is issued to overturn the order, the service can be restored before this period.
The topic of Whatsapp blocked in Brazil is being frequently mentioned in social networks like Twitter, already reaching top trending topics in the country. On Facebook, users are sharing news articles and opinions on the subject, in addition to memes related to the issue. The hashtags #nãoaobloqueio (#noblocking) and #whatsappsembloqueio (#unblockwhatsapp) are also being used.
According to SindiTelebrasil (National Union of Telephone Companies and Mobile services—an association representing local telephony companies), all companies received the injunction and are complying with the court order.
Disappointment
WhatsApp responded to the judge's order, declaring that the company is disappointed with the court ruling that blocked the service throughout the country. Through a note sent to Agência Brasil, Whatsapp reported that "after cooperating to the full extent of our ability with the Brazilian courts, we are disappointed with the decision of the judge from Sergipe ordering to block WhatsApp services in Brazil once again. This decision punishes more than 100 million Brazilians who depend on our service to communicate, manage their business, and a lot more, in an attempt to force us to deliver information that we do not retain, as repeatedly stated."
The company has not reported yet whether they will appeal against the court decision.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Users complain about blocking WhatsApp in Brazil
