Mass blocking of WhatsApp causes harm to users: 'No ground'

According to WhatsApp, the application's terms prohibit sending spam, scams and other activities that put the safety of other people at risk. But blocked users said they didn't come close to committing any of the violations cited by the platform. They also complain that they did not have a clear explanation about the causes of the bans. WhatsApp will stop working on old cell phones in September Loss after blocking Mechanic Dionatam Carteri, from Passo Fundo (RS), had an account on WhatsApp since 2015. He said he lost all conversations with customers after being blocked at the end of July. "Family photos, documents, contract things, everything was there. On the family side, we can talk, update the number. But, on the professional side, I'm lost," he said. "I never used it for anything illegal, nothing wrong. The blocking of my account is totally wrong. There is nothing that can be considered as illegal." He considers that the loss of message history will have the worst impact on his daily life and believes that the ban will cause him to lose money, as he will no longer receive messages from many customers. "In some cases, I don't have the customer's number saved in my phone's address book, only on WhatsApp. I can't get in touch, give a quote, because I can no longer locate it. I end up losing the service, the source of income." ? When a user is suspended for violating the terms, the app shows the following warning: "This account cannot use WhatsApp". It is possible to request a review from someone on the platform by clicking the "Request review" button. Dionatam used this resource, received no response and turned to the contact page on the WhatsApp website. But the platform said using other channels or third-party accounts to challenge a ban does not speed up the review process. WhatsApp Unsplash/Dimitri Karastelev Case against WhatsApp Blocked on WhatsApp Business since the end of June, masseuse Débora*, from São Paulo, decided to sue Meta after losing the account she had created two years ago. To maintain service, she created another account, but it was suspended for a few hours about 10 days later. The profile went back and forth until it was definitively banned, and Débora decided to create a third account, which also suffered restrictions until it was normalized on July 14th. Débora estimates that the loss of the first account, used to advertise to clients, caused her to lose half of her revenue during the period. In the process, she asks the court to force WhatsApp to reverse the functioning of the profile. "It's a completely uncomfortable situation. The customer tries to speak, sends a message and we can't respond. We end up losing credibility," he said. The masseuse complained that she did not receive an explanation from the platform about what led to her account being blocked. "WhatsApp doesn't say which rules were broken. If you get in touch, they are all artificial intelligence messages, there is no person for you to communicate with." WhatsApp with username: how to book? Is it safe? Ask questions about the WhatsApp resource REUTERS/Thomas White Lawyer Rafael Barreto, who represents Débora, said he sent extrajudicial notifications to Meta on behalf of two other banned clients. None of them were responded to by the company. "WhatsApp is simply suspending accounts for no reason. Several accounts are being suspended randomly, and several people are unable to work," he said. For Barreto, the lack of justification as to what caused the account to be banned shows a failure on the part of WhatsApp. "WhatsApp should have a much clearer policy. It's their onus to make everything clearer when someone joins the program." Can blocks violate user rights? WhatsApp can impose punishments on users, but there needs to be a clear reason, explained Luiz Augusto D'Urso, a lawyer specializing in digital law. "When there is an unjustified ban, and the platform simply responds that it banned by its own decision, this can be discussed in the Judiciary," he said. "In the process, if she does not present reasonable elements to support the ban, it is very likely that the judge will reverse the ban, ordering the platform to reestablish access." The lawyer highlighted that the Court already understands that users and platforms maintain consumer relationships, but clarified that the Consumer Protection Code does not provide for how companies should act in cases like this. "The CDC does not specifically foresee how the platform should present an appeal channel. So, there is no rule in the legislation on how this should happen", he commented. Users looking to reverse the block on WhatsApp should start with the means offered by the platform, explained D'Urso. If there is no response from the company, it is possible to