Brazil: judge blocks WhatsApp for several hours
Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service was blocked for several hours on Tuesday, 19 July, after a judge ordered the suspension of the service until the company revealed encrypted messages pertaining to a criminal investigation. The order was overturned several hours later by the Federal Supreme Court, which said that the measure seemed ‘scarcely reasonable or proportional’. WhatsApp argued, as it has done before, that the messages related to the case at hand are not stored on its servers and cannot be turned over to the courts.
About author
DW Team
The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.