A court in Sao Paulo state has ordered for the suspension of the popular messaging app-WhatsApp in Brazil—for failure of the bosses of WhatsApp to comply with a court order.

WhatsApp which is currently owned by Facebook has refused to cooperate in a criminal proceeding as it has ignored a court order to release certain needed data.

Facebook’s CEO and Founder-Mark Zuckerberg took to his facebook page to say:

“Tonight, a Brazilian judge blocked WhatsApp for more than 100 million people who rely on it in her country.

We are working hard to get this block reversed. Until then, Facebook Messenger is still active and you can use it to communicate instead.

This is a sad day for Brazil. Until today, Brazil has been an ally in creating an open internet. Brazilians have always been among the most passionate in sharing their voice online.

I am stunned that our efforts to protect people’s data would result in such an extreme decision by a single judge to punish every person in Brazil who uses WhatsApp.

We hope the Brazilian courts quickly reverse course. If you’re Brazilian, please make your voice heard and help your government reflect the will of its people.”

WhatsApp chief executive-Jan Koum also wrote; “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.”

WhatsApp is used by 93% of the internet population in Brazil as a cheap messaging system and voip. And even before this ruling, several telecommunication companies in Brazil have complained about how Whatsapp is draining their businesses and want its usage to be restricted.

The 48-hours ordered suspension of WhatsApp in Brazil has compelled those in the country to seek alternative cheap means to communicate—with Telegram, another free messaging app having said on Twitter that more than 1.5 million Brazilian users had sign up to its service since the suspension.