WhatsApp says Russia is restricting its service
What's the story
WhatsApp has accused Russian authorities of imposing restrictions on its services, depriving over 100 million Russians of their right to private communication just ahead of the holiday season. The accusation comes after Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, warned that it would completely block WhatsApp if the platform didn't comply with its demands to align with Russian law.
Accusations
Roskomnadzor's allegations against WhatsApp
Roskomnadzor has accused WhatsApp of violating Russian law by being used for organizing and carrying out terrorist acts, recruiting perpetrators, committing fraud, and other crimes against Russian citizens. As a result of these allegations, the regulator confirmed that it was taking steps to gradually restrict access to WhatsApp. Monitoring websites have reported thousands of complaints from Russians about outages and slowdowns today.
Defense
WhatsApp's response to Russian government's actions
In response to the restrictions, a WhatsApp spokesperson said that "the Russian government aims to take away the right to private, end-to-end encrypted communication from over 100 million people." The spokesperson emphasized that "WhatsApp is deeply embedded in the fabric of every community in the country" and pledged their commitment to fight for their users' rights.
Restrictions
Russia's crackdown on foreign-owned platforms
In August, Russia started limiting some calls on WhatsApp and Telegram. The government accused these foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in alleged fraud and terrorism cases. Along with WhatsApp and Telegram, the Russian government has also blocked or restricted social media platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
New initiative
Russia promotes state-backed messenger app MAX
Russia is also promoting a state-backed messenger app called MAX. Critics have raised concerns that this could be used to track users. However, the Russian authorities have dismissed these claims as false and insist that MAX is intended to simplify and improve citizens' everyday lives by integrating various government-related services into it.