WhatsApp accuses Russia of trying to block its encrypted services
What's the story
WhatsApp has accused the Russian government of trying to block its services, citing the country's discontent with the app's focus on secure, encrypted communication. The Meta-owned messaging service has vowed to continue providing these private services to users in Russia. This comes after Russia's digital development ministry announced it had started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls.
Service commitment
'We will keep doing all we can...': WhatsApp
In light of the recent developments, WhatsApp issued a statement saying, "WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people's right to secure communication." The company further explained that this is "why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people." WhatsApp also emphasized its commitment by saying, "We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia."
AI intervention
Telegram responded to Russia's actions
In response to Russia's actions, Telegram, another popular messaging platform, said its moderators use AI to monitor public areas of the app. The company claimed it removes millions of malicious messages daily. "Telegram actively combats harmful use of its platform, including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud," the company added in its statement.
Government action
Reason behind Russia's action
Russia has started restricting certain calls on Telegram and WhatsApp. The digital development ministry said the government is taking this action because these foreign-owned platforms have not provided information to law enforcement for fraud and terrorism investigations. According to a report by Reuters, this conflict is the latest in a long-running dispute between Russia and foreign tech platforms over content and data storage issues.