Brazilian Judge Puts Temporary Ban on WhatsApp -- Update

By Will Connors and Rogerio Jelmayer 

RIO DE JANEIRO -- A Brazilian judge issued a 72-hour ban on Facebook Inc.'s WhatsApp throughout Brazil on Monday, the latest in a series of clashes between the technology giant and the Brazilian government.

The ban, which would begin at 2 p.m., would likely generate a wave of criticism and disrupt the lives of tens of millions of Brazilians who use the free messaging service.

This isn't the first time WhatsApp has been the subject of legal battles in Brazil. In December a different judge blocked WhatsApp throughout the country for refusing to cooperate with a criminal investigation. That ban was reversed after less than 48 hours.

In March, Brazilian federal police briefly detained the vice president of Facebook's Latin America operations, Diego Dzodan, for not complying with police requests to access WhatsApp messages linked to an organized-crime and drug-trafficking case.

Monday's order is part of the same process that resulted in the executive's arrest, according to a spokeswoman for Sergipe's state court, where the order was issued. The spokeswoman didn't elaborate on the case, as it under seal.

"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," a WhatsApp spokesman said. WhatsApp says it doesn't store customers' messages and therefore cannot share such information.

SindiTelebrasil, a local telecom industry association, said telecom providers weren't part of the action that resulted in the court order and that they will comply with the order.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Brazil, the world's fourth-largest smartphone market. Roughly half of the country's 200 million people use its free text and voice messaging functions regularly, according to Facebook.

After the ban in December, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg sharply criticized the move, calling it "a sad day for Brazil."

Brazil is one of the largest markets outside the U.S. for Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Individual judges wield considerable power in Brazil and can issue surprising decisions related to relatively minor cases that have wide-ranging impact.

Write to Will Connors at [e-mail] and Rogerio Jelmayer at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 02, 2016 14:33 ET (18:33 GMT)

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