Social messaging service WhatsApp is being threatened by a nationwide
ban in Brazil as a judge in the country has ruled for a temporary ban
on the service. Judge Luiz de Moura Correia ordered the suspension after
the messaging service declined to help in an investigation concerning
the sharing of sexually explicit images of child pornography shared
within the app.
Although the judge hasn't officially disclosed his reasoning behind
the ruling; the case is currently ongoing, a press officer at the Piaui
state’s Public Safety Department has revealed the details about how the
case is related to child pornography. Judge Correia reportedly ordered
WhatsApp to hand over the information that might help in the legal
investigation. However, the company refused to do so as it uses end-to-end encryption techniques which means that it's practically impossible for it to simply hand over the required information.
Despite the ruling of the ban being sent out to cellphone operators
in the country, WhatsApp continues to work as its lawyers have appealed
against the judge's decision, which subsequently means that the company
has temporarily escaped the decision.
On the other hand, SindiTelebrasil, the organization which represents
Brazilian cellphone operators has issued a statement stating the ruling
as "extreme and disproportionate".
Thousands of users have started jumping ship already as one of WhatsApp's competitors, Telegram tweeted:
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