A judge in Brazil on Wednesday slapped an $11.6 million fine on the
local Facebook branch over the company’s refusal to surrender data from
its Whats App messenger program to a police investigation.
The order came from a judge in the northern state of Amazonas, saying Facebook was failing to meet its legal obligations.
Facebook Brasil has “shown tremendous disregard for Brazilian institutions,” prosecutors added.
WhatsApp has been owned by social media giant Facebook since February 2015.
The
long-running dispute pits Brazilian authorities’ insistence that they
need access to communications between criminal suspects against
Facebook’s argument that it is protecting privacy and freedom of
communication.
Specifics of the police investigation were not disclosed.
Facebook did not immediately respond to an email seeing comment on the fine.
Earlier this month, Brazilian authorities temporarily blocked
WhatsApp across the country for the third time in less than a year.
The
repeated shutdowns have angered users reliant on the free app. Fees for
texting and calls are high in Brazil and WhatsApp’s group chat and
image-sharing functions have become embedded in everyday social
interaction.
Last week, Brazilian authorities arrested 12 people
after intercepting WhatsApp and Telegram messages suggesting they were
plotting a terror strike on the Olympics which open August 5 in Rio de
Janeiro.
The Justice Ministry has not said how that communication was obtained.
WhatsApp
is estimated to be used by 100 million Brazilians, making Brazil the
second biggest user country after South Africa, according to data cited
by the court.