MOSCOW (Kashmir English): Russia has blocked WhatsApp over its alleged failure to comply with the country laws, days after restricting access to rival messaging service Telegram for identical reasons.
The government has for months been trying to shift users onto ‘Max’, a locally developed messaging service that lacks end-to-end encryption and which activists have called a potential surveillance tool.
According to critics, the restrictions are part of a broader campaign by Moscow to tighten control over internet use and more easily monitor the citizens online.
Russian news outlet RBK report
WhatsApp, owned by US tech giant Meta, has over 100 million users in Russia. According to a report by Russian news outlet RBK, WhatsApp was the most popular messaging tool among Russians aged 25 and over three years back, while Telegram was more popular among younger users.
Russian authorities announced they were blocking calls on both apps last August, accusing them of facilitating crime. The country has since progressively slowed down WhatsApp and in November announced banning the platform outright unless it complied with the country legislation.
