Russia confirms ban on WhatsApp

Russia has blocked the popular messaging service WhatsApp over its failure to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said Thursday, urging its 100 million Russian users to switch to a domestic alternative.

Moscow has for months been trying to shift Russian users onto Max, a domestic messaging service that lacks end-to-end encryption and that activists have called a potential tool for 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