Currently, the ban is active only for two days

Dec 17, 2015 14:35 GMT  ·  By

A Brazilian judge has ordered ISPs and telcos to shut down access to WhatsApp in the country for two days, as a punishment for the latter after failing to cooperate with authorities in an investigation.

The service will be shut down only for two days, but many fear the ban will be extended. A clue as to why this happened is found in one of Mark Zuckerberg's posts.

"We are working hard to get this block reversed. Until then, Facebook Messenger is still active and you can use it to communicate instead," said Mark Zuckerberg. "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."

The Facebook owner clearly hints that WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, has received requests from local Brazilian police that it did not deem acceptable.

While one year ago, after the Marco Civil law was passed, Brazil took a stance against the NSA and for Internet freedom, things seem to have turned around in less than a year.

Government corruption may be at the bottom of everything

TechCrunch's Julie Ruvolo, a reporter specialized in the Brazil tech startup scene, paints a gloomy picture of the country's current stance on Internet freedom.

The country's current conservative government is prepared to push laws that will make Internet users enter tax details, home addresses, and phone numbers before being allowed to access the Web.

Additionally, a Brazilian version of the Right to Be Forgotten Law is also prepared, along with laws for a centralized database of Internet users, and easier ways to sue people for slander left behind in online comments or articles, and for posting recordings or photos of people online without their consent.

All these bills and other incredibly stupid laws are pushed by Eduardo Cunha, a leading political figure in the Brazilian Senate, a former lobbyist for telecommunications companies.

With Brazil having the most expensive mobile rates on the planet, telcos are dissatisfied with services like WhatsApp, which provide a free alternative to SMS messaging and phone calls.

Outside the US and China, Brazil is the third, and sometimes the second largest userbase on many online social networks. A recent study showed that 93% of all Brazilian Internet users have a WhatsApp account.

UPDATE: The judge has lifted the ban, and said it will be pondering of imposing a very high fine on WhatsApp instead.