WhatsApp banned in Brazil

On the 17th of December Brazilian courts ban the mobile app WhatsApp for 48hours due to the company failing to co-coperate in a Criminal investigation. 

The social media website Facebook owns the WhatsApp. Its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said he was "stunned" by the "extreme" by the Sao Paulo state courts decison. Facebook released a statement saying, "We are disappointed in the short-sighted decision to cut off access to WhatsApp, a communication tool that so many Brazilians have come to depend on, and sad to see Brazil isolate itself from the rest of the world," said Jan Koum, chief executive of WhatsApp, in a statement posted on Facebook.

According to a 'Tech Crunch' report, in Brazil WhatsApp 93 million users, or 93% of the country’s internet population. The service is used by many people who cant afford the expensive Brazilian phone plans. Considering that Brazil is the social media capital of the world, this will cause issues for the Brazilian population. 

This suspension of WhatsApp comes after Brazilian phone companies urged the government to restrict the use of free voice-over-internet services offered through the App. 

Most details of the case are being kept secret by the judge, as is allowed under Brazilian law, however brazilian TV stations speculated it was due to a drug gang related crime.

Laura Bailey

Sources: BBC, Tech Crunch, Reuters

Image: Wired

Facebook amends 'real name' policy

Facebook's 'real names' policy has been amended to allow people with unfamiliar names to use the social network. Facebook requires its users to go by their legal or "authentic" names, which it says makes people accountable for their actions and deals with cyberbullying more effectively.

Although Facebooks' original aim was to combat cyber bulling by making it harder for people to hide their identity, it does not help users who use different usernames for their safety or preferred sexual identity.However the amended feature allow users share any circumstances that they could not use their real name, this could be vital for victims of domestic abuse, or in cases a persons' sexuality could put them in danger. Facebook say that these changes were needed after conversations with community leaders and safety organizations around the world.

Facebook explain their new feature saying, "in the past, people were able to simply report a “fake name” but now they will be required to go through several new steps that provide us more specifics about the report. This additional context will help our review teams better understand why someone is reporting a name, giving them more information about a specific situation."

On the 15th of December Facebook aims to reduce the number of people who are asked to verify their name once they have already registered with Facebook. Their other aim is to make it easier to confirm their name if necessary.



Laura Bailey

Sources: BBC, Facebook Press release
Images: (2)Facebook Press release, (1) BuzzCapture