WhatsApp is back online in Brazil

Re:WhatsApp is back online in Brazil by Loic on Wednesday May 04, 2016 @04:57AM (#11627098)

I don't know in which country you live, but I am very happy we have rulings here in Germany blocking access to businesses if those businesses are not following the law. WhatsApp, even if a US based company, is defacto providing a service in Brazil, it means they have to follow Brazilian laws. Dura Lex Sed Lex. You have more context on the other submission[0] showing that WhatsApp had way enough time to take the requests of the judge into account and act on them. They preferred to go the "we are too big to be shut down" way, which is not the way the law works and then complain about freedom and democracy.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11614116

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Re:WhatsApp is back online in Brazil by Dylan16807 on Wednesday May 04, 2016 @07:40AM (#11627621)

Blocking access should be a last resort, for businesses that are doing something extremely harmful. It's a consumer protection measure, not a punishment. If a business is breaking the law, you punish them with fines and the police, not by redirecting the mail/phone/packets directed at them.

The citizens are the ones initiating contact with WhatsApp servers. They're the ones really being blocked here. Even though they've done nothing wrong.

> WhatsApp had way enough time to take the requests of the judge into account and act on them.

Sure they had time, but the request was physically impossible. What is supposed to happen if a judge demands a picture of you eating breakfast 8 days ago?

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Re:WhatsApp is back online in Brazil by Ntrails on Wednesday May 04, 2016 @11:28AM (#11629021)

>Sure they had time, but the request was physically impossible. What is supposed to happen if a judge demands a picture of you eating breakfast 8 days ago?

You go to court and explain it's impossible. Sticking your fingers in your ears and singing is a poor strategy and deserves to be punished.

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Re:WhatsApp is back online in Brazil by Dylan16807 on Wednesday May 04, 2016 @05:21PM (#11631953)

If you've never been to the country, ignoring a court summons sounds like a sane idea to me.

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Re:WhatsApp is back online in Brazil by renatopp on Wednesday May 04, 2016 @07:34AM (#11627600)

This may work well in Germany, but here in Brazil everything government does we feel it's due to corruption or incompetence - and most of the time, it is.

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