--- description: The Facebook-owned messaging company refused to share data relating to a case title: Brazil Lifts WhatsApp Suspension image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [brazil](/tag/brazil/) ## brazil Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Brazil Lifts WhatsApp Suspension ## Video: Tech Time: How Facebook's Safety Check is Evolving [Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: How Facebook's Safety Check is Evolving](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/u1Y7z4NX.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2015-11-18. Tech Time: How Facebook's Safety Check is Evolving_ by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:51 PM CUTPublished: Dec 17, 2015 2:08 PM CUT by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:51 PM CUTPublished: Dec 17, 2015 2:08 PM CUT The free messaging service WhatsApp was ordered to be [suspended](http://www.wsj.com/articles/brazil-court-suspends-facebooks-whatsapp-for-48-hours-1450348131 "undefined") for 48 hours by a Brazilian state judge after the company refused to share data in cooperation with a criminal investigation, but the suspension was lifted on Thursday morning. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, is used by half of Brazil’s population due to its affordability—a fact that has troubled traditional telecom companies, the _Wall Street Journal_ reports. The details of the criminal case were not revealed, as it is under seal, and the legality of the block is being debated. “This is a sad day for Brazil,” said Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his [page](https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102530374780451?pnref=story "undefined"). “Until today, Brazil has been an ally in creating an open Internet … 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.” \[[_WSJ_](http://www.wsj.com/articles/brazil-court-suspends-facebooks-whatsapp-for-48-hours-1450348131 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/"},"headline":"Brazil Lifts WhatsApp Suspension","datePublished":"2015-12-17T14:08:31.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T21:51:02.000Z","description":"The Facebook-owned messaging company refused to share data relating to a case","url":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/","keywords":["brazil","Tech"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/brazil/","name":"brazil"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/","name":"Brazil Lifts WhatsApp Suspension"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Time: How Facebook's Safety Check is Evolving","description":"Tech Time: How Facebook's Safety Check is Evolving","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/u1Y7z4NX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-18T23:59:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/u1Y7z4NX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/","duration":"PT2M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4153152/whatsapp-suspended-brazil/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```