Brazilian Federal Police have arrested Facebook Regional Vice President Diego Dzoda, according to TechNewsWorld. Dzoda has allegedly refused to provide data, from the popular chat-app WhatsApp, wanted in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.
The arrest, as well as a high-profile feud between the FBI and Apple, highlights a trend of adversarial behavior between law enforcement and tech firms.
Government agencies are increasingly in unfamiliar territory when requesting data. Agencies face unusually powerful players, like Apple or Facebook, and unique scenarios where laws and precedents may not exist. TechNewsWorld describes this landscape as a "digital world without borders."
Jadzia Butler, from The Center for Democracy, told TechNewsWorld, "It can take up to 10 months for a foreign law enforcement agency to get the data it needs ... So governments like Brazil and others have started to resort to extreme tactics in order to get the data."
WhatsApp has taken a stance similar to Apple by claiming it cannot cooperate with government demands.
A WhatsApp spokesperson told TheHackerNews, "We are disappointed that law enforcement took this extreme step. WhatsApp cannot provide information we do not have. We cooperated to the full extent of our ability in this case, and while we respect the important job of law enforcement, we strongly disagree with its decision."
Legal and privacy issues complicate cases of this type. Emerging reports suggest criminal activity has increasingly moved to smartphone apps.
These new apps pose challenges for police, but government agencies have a history of unconventional surveillance.
Public opinion has become increasingly supportive of tech firms following the Edward Snowden NSA leaks and subsequent information cases. In a Reuters poll, 46 perfect of respondents sided with Apple over the FBI regarding their refusal to create an iPhone backdoor.
Pew Research shows that a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents disapprove of the NSA's surveillance programs. 93 percent of respondents wanted controls over who can access their personal information.
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