“A sad day for Brazil” was how Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg described the decision of a Brazilian court to block the popular messaging application WhatsApp.
The 48-hour blockage, which started Thursday, came after WhatsApp had repeatedly failed to cooperate in a criminal investigation.
“This is a sad day for Brazil. Until today, Brazil has been an ally in creating an open internet. Brazilians have always been among the most passionate in sharing their voice online,” Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page, saying more than 100 million people Brazilians relying on the service were affected.
“I am stunned that our efforts to protect people’s data would result in such an extreme decision by a single judge to punish every person in Brazil who uses WhatsApp,” he added.
Zuckerberg hopes that the Brazilian courts “quickly reverse” its decision.
“If you’re Brazilian, please make your voice heard and help your government reflect the will of its people,” he said, encouraging the people of Brazil to speak up using the hashtags #ConnectBrazil and #ConnectTheWorld.
While WhatsApp was blocked, he said Facebook Messenger is still active in Brazil and could be used for communication and messaging. NC