This is a mess.

Secret is an app that lets users share anonymous messages with friends, friends of friends, or publicly.

and so

On Monday, a Brazilian civil court in Vitória granted a preliminary injunction to a public prosecutor, prohibiting Apple and Google from distributing the anonymous sharing app Secret and Microsoft from distributing Secret’s Windows Phone client, Cryptic.

because

Chapter five, article 1 of the Brazilian constitution specifies that “the expression of thought is free, anonymity being forbidden,”

Also

The injunction … said that the three app store proprietors had to remotely delete the app off Brazilian users’ devices.

Which illustrates one of many reasons why DRM is bad news.

Meanwhile, in epic news of fail…

Opposing lawyers argued that Secret does not violate the constitution because it is technically possible to trace who is posting anonymous messages through e-mail and phone number records.

So an “anonymous” sharing app’s argument against being banned is that it’s not anonymous? That’s… special.

[Hat tip to @bsookman via @cyberleagle]