Facebook fined over $33 million for failing to assist in investigation
The fine was imposed by a Brazilian court after Facebook refused to allow investigators access to the WhatsApp messages of corrupt officials in 2016.
A Brazilian court has fined Facebook 111.7 million reais (about $33.4 million) for failing to cooperate with authorities, a Brazilian official said, after the social network refused to allow access to WhatsApp messages from people suspected of corruption and fraud in the health sector in the state of Amazonas in 2016, hampering investigators.
The case was handed down by a Brazilian court in April 2016 and came into effect in mid-June of that year, forcing Facebook to pay one million reais a day (about $300,000). By the time the investigation was closed in September 2016, the social network was forced to pay $33.4 million in principal and interest.
Meanwhile, Facebook denied it. "Facebook always cooperates with law enforcement agencies and will disclose specific data within the framework of the law. We believe this fine is unfounded and will intervene with legal measures," said a representative of the social network.
In addition to the above incident, Facebook is currently dealing with a crisis after the scandal of leaking user data. In a recent announcement, the social network admitted that up to 87 million personal information was leaked instead of only 50 million as previously. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologized and announced corrective measures. After the announcement, Facebook shares rebounded 4.2% after falling 16%.
