WhatsApp On Problems, Bans And Victory

Facebook is yet again facing another detractor. This time it's the Brazilian government, and it concerns its WhatsApp service. But unlike its earlier battles, it seems like this battle was solved in a matter of hours. The problem started when a judge banned the popular cellphone chat and voice service WhatsApp for 48 hours.

The said ban on the popular smartphone service was ordered by Judge Sandra Marques in Sao Bernardo do Campo in Sao Paulo. The said order was imposed after the social media company failed to respond to an order to provide information for an undergoing criminal investigation.

It was also revealed by the Sao Paulo state tribunal that the social network did not respond to notifications that have been sent to them last July 23 and Aug. 7. The ban was then requested by prosecutors as retaliation for the said failure to respond.

The day the ban on WhatApp was ordered, another judge from a higher court overruled Marques' decision. Judge Xaxier de Souza said that it was not reasonable that millions of users should be affected as a result of the company's inaction.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has released a statement through his Facebook post that the banning of WhatsApp was a sad day for Brazil. They were stunned that their efforts to protect people's data has resulted in an extreme decision by a single judge punishng every person who are in Brazil who uses the popular app. Zuckerberg has also urged all those affected to protest the decision.

A WhatsApp spokesperson added that they are disappointed that a judge will punish more than 100 million users in Brazil for information that the company isn't able to procure as they don't have it. WhatsApp creator Jan Koum has also posted his side regarding the issue on Facebook.

Koum said it was so sad to see Brazil isolate itself from the rest of the world. After the ban was overturned, Koum posted that they are glad that the voices of the users have been heard loud and clear by the people who represent them.

WhatsApp is so popular that it has already about 900 million monthly users and has also managed to largely eclipse the indispensable Blackberry Messenger service across the Middle East, where it is also widely used. The said service was acquired by Facebook last year for $22 billion USD. It has been reported that it was so popular in Brazil that people often ask for new acquaintances' "WhatsApp" rather than their number. The popular app is said to have 100 million users in Brazil.

The popular smartphone service became a hit in the South American country's favelas and low-income communities when 3G services started to become more available because it is free. The service was often referred there as "Sap Sap." WhatsApp then slowly gained popularity in the middle class.