WhatsApp block lifted after Brazilian judge slams 'unreasonable' 48-hour ban

A judge in Brazil has ordered a block on the popular messaging application WhatsApp to be lifted.

WhatsApp had been suspended for 48 hours on Thursday, after the company failed to comply with a court order to provide investigators with information relating to a criminal court case.

However, Judge Xavier de Souza has said the service should be re-instated immediately, stating that it was "not reasonable that millions of users be affected by the inertia of the company".

The shutdown was ordered by a Sao Paulo Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques, because it said the Facebook-owned application had allegedly withheld messages relating to a suspect in a drug trafficking investigation.

WhatsApp chief executive Jan Koum had described the decision as "short-sighted," claiming that cutting off access to WhatsApp would isolate Brazil from the rest of the world.

Brazilians had also complained bitterly on social media about the suspension. Within hours of the ban being announced, the hashtag #Nessas48HorasEuVou (#Inthese48hoursIwill) began trending on Twitter.

WhatsApp is 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 for free, and many people use it to communicate with family, friends and colleagues both inside of Brazil and abroad.

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