World
Russia suspends WhatsApp use, promotes domestic app
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that it has blocked the widely used messaging service WhatsApp in Russia, citing the company’s refusal to follow local laws.
Authorities urged the app’s 100 million Russian users to switch to a homegrown alternative.
For several months, Moscow has been encouraging people to move to Max, a Russian messaging platform that does not offer end-to-end encryption. Critics and activists have warned that the app could be used for state surveillance.
“As for the blocking of WhatsApp … such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said the decision was due to WhatsApp’s “reluctance to comply with the norms and letter of Russian law”.
“Max is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger. And it is an alternative available on the market for citizens,” he said.
WhatsApp, owned by US social media giant Meta, said Wednesday that it believed Russia was attempting to fully block the service in a bid to force users onto Max.
“We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected,” it said.
Critics and rights campaigners say the restrictions are a transparent attempt by the Kremlin to ramp up control and surveillance over internet use in Russia.
Russia’s internet watchdog said Tuesday it would slap “phased restrictions” on the Telegram messaging platform, which it also accused of not complying with local legislation.
AFP
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