Whatsapp ban could see 93 million users locked out of smartphone messaging app

A Brazilian court has order a 48 hour Whatsapp shutdown which could see 93 million people temporarily stopped from using the service.

A Sao Paulo judge made the ruling because it said the Facebook-owned application had repeatedly failed to co-operate with a criminal investigation.

Brazilian media has reported that Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques applied the ban in relation to the app's withholding of messages relating to a suspect in a drug trafficking investigation.

WhatsApp is reportedly the most popular app in Brazil, with around 100 million users in the country. The service offers free text and voice messaging over the internet, as well as the ability to make voice calls, also for free.

The app has around 900 million users globally, placing it well ahead of other social platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.

In a statement on Facebook, WhatsApp chief executive Jan Koum said: "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."

The ban comes in the wake of Brazilian phone companies calling for the government to restrict the use of free internet communication tools, arguing the rise of WhatsApp has damaged their businesses.Mark Zuckerberg says its a 'sad day' for internet freedom as judge orders 48 hour shutdown of Whatsapp