WhatsApp users in Brazil experienced a 48-hour shut down all throughout the country. The ban started on Thursday midnight local time.
According to CNET, the most popular messaging and voice mobile application was stemmed to shut down in Brazil due to noncompliance in a criminal proceeding filed in Sao Paolo. However, the second Brazilian court ordered to lift the suspension since there was no logical reason to provide why millions of users in Brazil can't use the said application.
Based from the Sao Paulo State Justice Tribunal, WhatsApp was not able to comply two court orders that they issued last summer.
The report stated, "The hiatus had come as Brazilian telecommunications companies sought to curtail the meteoric growth of Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which is used by people around the world to send texts without paying carrier fees. The companies claim the app undermines their own services."
In response, Jan Koum, the CEO of WhatsApp, shared his disappointment through his personal Facebook account. He wrote, "We are disappointed in the short-sighted decision to cut off access to WhatsApp, a communication tool that so many Brazilians have come to depend on, and sad to see Brazil isolate itself from the world."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted his own thoughts on Facebook in response to the suspension on WhatsApp usage in Brazil. He described Brazilian's situation as "a sad day for Brazil." advised the users to use the Facebook messenger as an alternative at the moment while the case is on-going.
He said, "Facebook Messenger is still active and you can use it to communicate instead."
WhatsApp started in 2009 as a basic text-messaging app which offers users the ability to leave voice messages at the same time. The application is available on every mobile platform and is acquired by Facebook for $19 billion.
