Brazil: court orders a freeze on Facebook funds in a dispute about encrypted data

A court in Brazil has ordered a freeze on $6 million in Facebook’s Brazilian bank account, in a dispute about encrypted data involving police authorities and Facebook-owned messaging application WhatsApp. The case involves a request from the Brazilian federal police to have access to certain WhatsApp messages as part of an international drugs investigation. WhatsApp and Facebook failed to comply with the request, arguing that they do not store nor have access to the requested metadata and messages. The frozen funds amount to WhatsApp accumulated fines for non-compliance in the case. Source