WhatsApp says Russia tried to block the messaging app completely
Russia has attempted to completely ban WhatsApp in the country, the company said, the latest step in ongoing government efforts To tighten censorship on the Internet.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said late Wednesday that the action by Russian authorities was aimed at “pushing users into a state-owned surveillance app,” referring to Russia’s state-backed MAX messaging app that critics consider a surveillance tool.
“Trying to cut off more than 100 million people from private and secure communications is a step backwards and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said. “We continue to do everything we can to keep people connected.”
The Russian government has already done so Main social media blocked Such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other restrictions on the Internet have intensified since Russia Large-scale invasion Ukraine in 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Meta Platforms, which owns WhatsApp, must comply with Russian law in order for it to be unblocked, according to the state news agency TASS.
Earlier this week, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications watchdog, said it would impose new restrictions on the messaging app Telegram after it was accused of refusing to abide by the law. The move sparked widespread criticism from military bloggers, who warned that Russian forces fighting in Ukraine were widely using Telegram and that throttling it would hamper military communications.
Despite this announcement, Telegram has remained largely operating normally. Some experts say it is a more difficult target compared to WhatsApp. Some Russian experts said that blocking WhatsApp would free up technological resources and allow the authorities to focus fully on Telegram, their priority target.
Authorities had previously restricted access to WhatsApp before finally moving to block it on Wednesday.
Under President Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in deliberate, multi-pronged efforts to rein in the Internet. They have adopted restrictive laws, blocked websites and platforms that do not comply, and focused on improving technology to monitor and process online traffic.
Russian authorities have clamped down on YouTube and systematically intensified restrictions against popular messaging platforms, banning Signal and Viber and blocking online calls on WhatsApp and Telegram. In December, they imposed restrictions on Apple’s FaceTime video calling service.
While it is still possible to circumvent some restrictions using VPN services, many of them are routinely blocked as well.
Meanwhile, authorities have actively promoted a “patriotic” messaging app called MAX, which critics say could be used for surveillance. The platform, which developers and officials promote as a one-stop-shop for messaging, online government services, making payments and more, explicitly states that it will share user data with authorities upon request. Experts also say that it does not use end-to-end encryption.
