Facebook's LatAm VP arrested by Brazilian police

News Wireless Brazil 2 MRT 2016
Facebook's LatAm VP arrested by Brazilian police

Police in Sao Paulo have arrested Facebook’s vice-president for Latin America for failing to cooperate with judicial orders in a criminal investigation. Diego Dzodan was taken into custody at Garulhos airport and is being questioned about Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp’s alleged failure to reveal messages relating to a suspected drug-trafficking ring. The judge investigating the case imposed a daily penalty of BRL 1 million on the company for denying the request and has now ordered the arrest of Dzodan “for obstructing the police investigation."

In a statement Facebook described the measure as “extreme and disproportionate”, adding that "Facebook has always been and will be available to address any questions Brazilian authorities may have.” The latest development comes after a Brazilian court last year ordered fixed and mobile telephony operators to block WhatsApp after it twice failed to comply with orders in a separate case. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described that earlier shutdown as “a sad day for Brazil”.

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

Facebook,  WhatsApp

Countries:

Brazil

Tags:

Messaging, Wireless, Wholesale, Legislation - Lawsuits

Related Articles

BRAZIL 8 FEB 2017

Brazil Federal Prosecutor seeks higher fine for Facebook

Brazil's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) is in favour of increasing the fine of BRL 1.38 million imposed on Facebook Brasil for breaching a court order in February 2016. According to a statement by the MPF, Facebook refused to intercept data from two persons investigated for international drug trafficking and trafficking association. The targets with Federal Justice's approval in Rio de Janeiro were the profiles of the suspects on Facebook and their Facebook Messenger data.

BRAZIL 28 JUL 2016

Brazil prosecutor freezes BRL 38 mln in Facebook funds

The public federal prosecutor in the Brazilian state of Amazonas said that a local court has frozen BRL 38 million of funds held in Facebook's account, reports Reuters. The prosecutor's office said the funds correspond to the fines for failing to comply with court order to turn over data on users of the company's WhatsApp messaging service who are under criminal investigation. Brazilian courts have shut down WhatsApp nationwide three times since December.

BRAZIL 3 MEI 2016

WhatsApp blocked in Brazil, TIM drops SMS charges

A judge in the Brazilian state of Sergipe on 2 May ordered the five main mobile operators to block access to Facebook's WhatsApp for 72 hours, reports Reuters. The decision affects WhatsApp's more than 100 million users in the country. The reason for the order is not known due to legal secrecy in an ongoing case in the Sergipe state court. In a statement, WhatsApp said the company is "disappointed at the decision" after doing the utmost to cooperate with Brazilian tribunals. Mobile operator TIM Brasil respo

GERMANY 9 MRT 2016

German court rules against Facebook Like buttons on websites

The Regional Court of Duesseldorf has ruled that companies cannot integrate Facebook buttons on their websites which send data to the social networking site without the specific consent of users, ruling that this a major breach of data protection laws. The ruling comes after The NRW Consumer Group took legal action against the integration of Facebook Like buttons on the fashioned.de website operated by Peek & Cloppenburg. The decision it not legally binding. The Consumer Group was taking action against webs

BRAZIL 3 MRT 2016

Facebook's LatAm VP released from jail in Brazil

Facebook's vice-president for Latin America Diego Dzodan has been released from jail after spending one night in custody for refusing to cooperate with a judicial order to reveal messages exchanged by users of WhatsApp. A judge in Sergipe ruled that he was wrongly detained because he wasn't personally named in the corresponding legal proceedings. Another judge had earlier issued a warrant accusing Dzodan of repeatedly failing to comply with a judicial order to release content from a WhatsApp messaging group

UNITED STATES 2 MRT 2016

Apple squares off against FBI in Senate hearing

Apple has defended its resistance to unlocking security in the iPhone for law enforcement officials in testimony given in the US Congress. Apple's General Counsel Bruce Sewell went up against FBI Director James Comey in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Comey said the bureau is simply asking Apple to remove some security features so that investigators can hack into the iPhone used by one of the suspects in the December attack in San Bernardino, California. "Essentially we're asking Apple to ta

FRANCE 1 MRT 2016

French MP seeks EUR 1 mln fine for not unlocking phones

French deputy Yann Galut has proposed an amendment to an organised crime and terrorism bill that would impose a EUR 1 million fine on any company that refuses to comply quickly with a court order to unlock a mobile phone as part of an investigation. Eight phones in terrorism investigations were inaccessible to police in 2015. Galut told Le Parisien that there is a legal vacuum on the question of encryption, adding that "Smartphone and tablet makers, Apple and Google in particular, must be compelled to provi

BRAZIL 21 JAN 2016

Facebook calls for telecom deregulation in Brazil

Facebook Brasil has sent to Brazil's Ministry of Communications its proposals for regulatory changes for telecommunications services in the country, reports O Estado de Sao Paulo. The company criticized the possibility of eventual regulation of OTT and internet applications such as Facebook and WhatsApp, while at the same time advocating further deregulation of the telecom operators. Facebook's contribution is part of a public consultation organised by the Ministry, which ended last week.

BRAZIL 20 DEC 2015

WhatsApp owes over BRL 12 mln in fines to Brazil

WhatsApp owes about BRL 12.7 million in fines to the Brazilian Justice, according a report by TV Globo. The fines were received for the same reason that led a judge to determine a 48-hour blocking order for the app, which ended up lasting only 12 hours. Whatsapp had 48 hours to comply with a court order made in July, otherwise it would receive a daily fine of BRL 100.000. According to the police, the fine, which was not paid in these four months, reached BRL 12.7 million this week.

BRAZIL 18 DEC 2015

Judge reverses WhatsApp block in Brazil

Judge Xavier de Souza, from the Sao Paulo Court of Justice, ordered on 17 December an end to the block on WhatsApp nationwide, reports Agencia Brasil. This follows a previous ruling by a judge from the 1st Criminal Court of Sao Bernardo do Campo to block the app for  48 hours. According to De Souza, "in light of constitutional principles, it does not seem reasonable to affect millions users due to the company's inertia" to provide information to justice officials. The block was ordered because WhatsApp did

BRAZIL 17 DEC 2015

Brazil blocks WhatsApp for 48 hours

A Brazilian court has ordered fixed and mobile operators to block the instant messaging service WhatsApp across the country for 48 hours from midnight on 17 December. This was determined by the 1st Criminal Court of Sao Bernardo do Campo. Sinditelebrasil, the association which represents the telecom industry, said operators would try to comply with the decision within the period specified. Due to technical difficulties caused by the blockade and the impact that it will cause to the service of operators, Oi

BRAZIL 28 AUG 2015

Consumer groups defend against telco attack on WhatsApp

Brazilian consumers association Proteste, along with other similar organisations for the defense of consumer rights, have filed a representation to the Public Prosecutor's Office over alleged practices contrary to the law by Brazilian telecom operators. In addition, Proteste opened a website entitled "Don't shut up WhatsApp", with information about the association's stance towards telecom operators and their position on WhatsApp, as well as a petition. The consumer groups aim to protect access to WhatsApp f

BRAZIL 21 AUG 2015

Brazil minister in favour of regulating OTT services

Brazil's Minister of Communications Ricardo Berzoini said online services that compete with telecommunications services regulated by Brazilian law should face similar oversight. Speaking to the Chamber of Deputies, he said the regulatory and tax asymmetries should be addressed so that telecommunications services and over-the-top providers like Skype, Netflix, YouTube and WhatsApp are treated equally. According to the minister, the foreign internet companies which supposedly offer free services in exchange f

Just In

19 DEC 16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

19 DEC 16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

19 DEC 15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

19 DEC 15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins

Complete profile

Before downloading the whitepaper, we would like to ask you to complete your profile with company and position. After confirming you will receive the white paper.