Supreme Court lifts suspension on WhatsApp in Brazil

Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, head of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF), has just decided to strike down the ruling issued by a Rio de Janeiro judge to suspend messaging app WhatsApp. The application is expected to be brought back in operation after wireless phone carriers are notified of the move. The request was submitted by the Socialist Popular Party (PPS).

In his ruling, Lewandowski understands that interrupting the messaging services of the app violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and communication. The justice further mentions that court orders are also sent through WhatsApp.

The suspension had been ruled by Judge Daniela Barbosa Assunção de Souza, from a court in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. In her decision, she claims that the application failed to comply with a court ruling which ordered the interception of messages deemed necessary in a criminal probe. This is the third time the serve is blocked in Brazil.

After the decision, Facebook, which owns the app, declared it could not abide by the ruling, as messages are encrypted, and therefore not accessible. In April this year, WhatsApp adopted a cryptography method called end-to-end, which keeps messages secret to anyone not taking part in a given conversation.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira