14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp has been facing some issues with the judicial system in some countries, especially in Brazil. Back in February of 2015, a judge in Brazil threatened WhatsApp with suspension but didn't disclose the reasons at the time. The ban was lifted soon afterward, and the app was up and running in the country until December of the same year.
During the last month of 2015, a judge from the same country ordered IPSes and telcos to shut down access to WhatsApp, after the company failed to cooperate with authorities in an investigation. The service was shut down for several days, as the judge requested information to no avail.
However, the matter wasn't that simple, as WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, and only users have access to the encryption keys of their private conversations. This makes it impossible for the company to get its hands on the information and actually turn it over to the authorities.
WhatsApp got banned again and received a fine
It seems that the same thing might be happening now that a judge from Brazil has imposed yet another ban on WhatsApp's service in the country. Reuters reports that the company failed to cooperate with authorities and hand over information in a criminal investigation.
The order will supposedly affect 100 million users from Brazil, and the judge seems determined to only lift the ban when Facebook releases the information. WhatsApp representatives have reportedly stated that encrypted messages sent through the app aren't stored on company websites, which means that the company can't actually access it. WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encryption in its app back in November 2014.
The company also faces a fine of $15,300 per day until it complies with the judicial order. The most recent WhatsApp blockage in Brazil happened in May, but in March, a Facebook executive was detained overnight for failing to block WhatsApp in the country, as per a request from the authorities.
UPDATE: The ban has been lifted within a matter of minutes and WhatsApp's service in the country is now available.