Translated material
Facebook executive arrested in Brazil for refusing to disclose WhatsApp correspondence
Facebook Vice President for South America Diego Dzodan has been arrested in Brazil following a court order that is considering the Brazilian police's request to the WhatsApp messenger (owned by Facebook) to disclose the contents of messages in a drug trafficking case.
As The Guardian reports, a Brazilian court more than a month ago ordered WhatsApp to disclose to the police messages from WhatsApp users related to drug trafficking. After failing to comply with the decision, the company was fined 50,000 reais ($12.7 thousand) per day, and then a million reais ($254.5 thousand) per day. Ultimately, the court authorized the arrest of the Facebook representative.
WhatsApp said that the company does not store user messages, so the court decision cannot be enforced, Reuters reports . Facebook, in turn, noted that WhatsApp is managed independently, so Dzodan cannot be detained in connection with this case.
"In light of the consistent failure to comply [with the court's decision], the judge ordered the arrest of the company's representative in Brazil, Mr. Diego Dzodan, for obstructing the police investigation," a court spokesman said.
- WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messengers in Brazil. According to SimilarWeb, the application is installed on 93 percent of devices with the Android operating system, Reuters reports.
- In December 2015, a Brazilian court ordered WhatsApp to be temporarily blocked for failing to comply with rulings in another case. As a result of a 12-hour block, rival messenger Telegram gained 5.7 million new users in Brazil, RBC reports .