Brazil blocks WhatsApp for 48 hours leaving 93 million without access December 18, 2015 - 15:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - You might notice that WhatsApp has started trending across social media - and that's because the messaging service has been temporarily blocked by the Brazilian government, Digital Spy reports. The Facebook-owned platform has been placed under lockdown for 48 hours, leaving more than 93 million people in the country without access. The move has seen users flock to rival messaging service Telegram, which has racked up over 1.5 million downloads in the past few hours. It is unclear why Brazil has clamped down on WhatsApp, although telecommunications companies in the territory have been lobbying for the app to be banned on the grounds that its voice service is unregulated. Service providers have expressed concerns that the Facebook-owned service's WiFi calling and instant messaging features is convincing Brazilians to ditch their phone lines, reports TechCrunch. Brazil's conservative congress is pushing for radical sanctions on the use of social media, including regulations that would force citizens to enter their address, phone number and tax ID in order to access certain apps and websites. The authorities are also calling for politicians to have the power to censor social media posts that they deem to be defamatory. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that he was "stunned" by Brazil's decision to block WhatsApp and is "working hard to get [the] block reversed".  Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020."   Partner news Most popular in the section |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza.Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |
