Russia’s government recently issued a formal block on the popular messaging platform WhatsApp. The company stated that this move is part of an effort to drive citizens towards a state-owned surveillance app.
WhatsApp made the admission in a post on X, referring to the Max messaging app which has been pushed to citizens as an alternative to western alternatives for some time.
A Kremlin representative told BBC News the block on WhatsApp had been taken due to parent Meta Platforms’ unwillingness to “comply with the norms and the letter of Russian law”. The representative apparently added it would be willing to ease the block if the company moved to comply with laws and “enters into dialogue”.
Russia previously took measures to degrade the messaging app’s performance by slowing the service. Instagram and Facebook have also been removed from the country’s internet directory.
Isolation
In its post, WhatsApp hit out at the government’s attempt “to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication”, describing it as a backwards step which compromises users’ safety. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected”.
In addition to WhatsApp, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor this week stated it is tightening the screw on the highly popular Telegram messaging app on security grounds.
Max was officially designated as the country’s “national messenger” in 2025. It is owned by state-controlled Russian social media company VKontakte.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: WhatsApp
