Brazil is blacking out WhatsApp for 72 hours thanks to an encryption battleMumbai, May 3(AZINS) A court order in Brazil is shutting down WhatsApp in the country for three days, according to local news reports. Announced earlier on April 26, the order was expected to take effect at 10:30pm (IST) on May 2.

As with most tech services that involve data transfer, the issue here is one of privacy and encryption. According to reports, an investigative branch of the police, that deals with criminal activity online, pushed for an access order to be issued back in 2013, likely to gain evidence of a crime from a suspect’s WhatsApp chats. Seeing as WhatsApp has an encryption system that it’s not likely to crack open for any source, the company probably never complied with the order, leading to the current blanket order being passed.

The court order is directed at Brazil’s five major wireless carriers, who have been banned from transmitting WhatsApp data for the duration of the shutout. Any violators of the ban will reportedly be fined BRL 500,000, approximately US $140,000.