Let's understand why.
The São Paulo Justice system ordered the instant messaging app WhatsApp to be blocked starting at midnight today, Thursday the 17th. Phone carriers that fail to comply with the court order over the next two days will face hefty fines. And this measure isn't just for a few states, but for the entire country.
The person responsible for the lawsuit remains undisclosed for undetailed reasons, but it's speculated that Brazilian carriers are involved in some way, since they've been pushing Anatel and the courts for action against the app for months. Besides making calls over the web, WhatsApp has also been the target of lawsuits and court orders in Brazil for consistently refusing to cooperate with police investigations involving child pornography cases and other crimes.
In an update from the TecMundo website, the case that led to this decision stems from an investigation into a man arrested by the São Paulo Civil Police in 2013. Since the app refused to provide information, the 1st Criminal Court of São Bernardo do Campo ordered carriers to block it for 48 hours.
In a post on his own Facebook profile, Mark Zuckerberg called it "a sad day for Brazil." Here's the transcript of the post:
"Tonight, a Brazilian judge blocked WhatsApp for more than 100 million users of the app in the country.
We're working hard to reverse this situation. Until then, Facebook Messenger remains active and can be used to exchange messages.
This is a sad day for the country. Until now, Brazil has been an important ally in building an open internet. Brazilians are always among the most passionate about sharing their voices online.
I'm shocked that our efforts to protect personal data could result in every Brazilian WhatsApp user being punished by the extreme decision of a single judge.
We hope the Brazilian justice system quickly reverses this decision. If you're Brazilian, please make your voice heard and help your government reflect the will of the people.
#ConectaBrasil #ConecteoMundo"
Besides showing support for the Brazilian people, Facebook's creator offers the alternative of using Messenger, the chat app from the most widely used social network today. He also makes it clear that he's doing everything possible to reverse the decision.
On the other hand, plenty of people have been benefiting amid all this controversy. On its Twitter account, WhatsApp's rival app Telegram Messenger announced it's welcoming users who don't want to be left stranded without communication. Oh, and it's available for Android and iOS. 😉
Another alternative is using VPN apps, which this morning were the most downloaded on the iTunes App Store. The most popular ones are SurfEasy, Cloak, Hotspot Shield, VPN Security, VPN Unlimited, and Betternet. The latter, for example, uses an international VPN (virtual private network) that allows normal browsing. The free version has reduced speed, which can affect regular network performance.
Besides the apps directly tied to this controversy, indirect utilities are also doing well in this context. Spotify created a 48-hour music playlist.
Some people have WhatsApp working normally, but it's not 100% reliable. What about you — how are you dealing with this decision?
[UPDATE]
According to the official website of the São Paulo Court of Justice, WhatsApp is back up throughout Brazil.
The decision was made by Judge Xavier de Souza of the 11th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Justice.
"In light of constitutional principles, it doesn't seem reasonable for millions of users to be affected due to the company's inertia," the judge stated on the TJSP website.
Telecom carriers were notified and the service was restored.
