WhatsApp ban ignites Brazil censorship fears

A recent move by Brazilian judges to ban the messaging service WhatsApp for allegedly not co-operating with police investigations threatens the sector’s growth and signals a worrying shift towards a form of Internet censorship.

“This generates a huge sense of insecurity in the industry and discourages other apps from setting up in Brazil,” says Fernando Stacchini, a partner at Motta, Fernandes Rocha, a law firm. Even Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, weighed in, saying: “The idea that everyone in Brazil can be denied the freedom to communicate the way they want is very scary in a democracy.” The details of the case are not public, but analysts say a judge in Sergipe state, in the north-east of the country, ordered telecom operators this month to block WhatsApp for 72 hours after the company refused to share messages sent between drug traffickers — a ban that was overturned 24 hours later by a higher court.


WhatsApp ban ignites Brazil censorship fears