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WhatsApp has charged the Russian administration with trying to impose a nationwide prohibition on its messaging platform, aiming to coerce over 100 million users into adopting an alternative supported by the Kremlin, fraught with monitoring threats.
In a proclamation on X, the app owned by Meta stated: “Today the Russian regime endeavored to entirely obstruct WhatsApp in a bid to redirect individuals towards a state-managed surveillance application. Attempting to alienate over 100 million users from private and secure communication represents a regressive move and can solely result in diminished safety for individuals in Russia. We persist in doing everything possible to maintain user connectivity.”
This action follows Russia’s internet authority, Roskomnadzor, removing WhatsApp from the national digital registry on February 11, which instigated widespread failures.
Users report challenges in sending messages and initiating calls without VPNs, reminiscent of previous curtailments on voice functionalities imposed last year due to alleged non-compliance in fraud and terrorism investigations.
This intensification aligns with Moscow’s “sovereign internet” initiative, intended to restrict foreign platforms and direct traffic towards local ones such as the recently launched MAX application.
MAX, designed similarly to China’s WeChat, merges messaging with government services, banking, and document storage, leading critics to characterize it as a surveillance instrument capable of tracking user behavior.
In contrast to WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, which protects content from third parties, state applications like MAX may permit real-time data access for authorities, increasing cybersecurity risks.
Cybersecurity specialists caution that this shift undermines privacy, exposes users to focused hacks, and suppresses dissent amid Russia’s post-2022 Ukraine invasion technological crackdown.
Telegram, another favored encrypted messaging service, encounters similar restrictions, with Roskomnadzor intending to impose access limitations this week. Previous bans on Signal and FaceTime highlight the trend, as Human Rights Watch remarks on Russia’s expanding legal toolkit to segregate its internet domain. VPN utilization has surged; however, regulators are also constraining these, complicating secure avoidance.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sidestepped the prohibition, asserting that Meta must adhere to local legislation for any resolution. WhatsApp commits to persist, emphasizing encrypted accessibility. For Russian users, estimated between 97 to 100 million, this implies raised dangers: from intercepted conversations to phishing attempts via unverified state applications.
As the demand for VPNs escalates, experts recommend multi-factor authentication and encrypted alternatives, although choices are diminishing. WhatsApp’s endurance challenges underscore the vulnerability of global communications within authoritarian regimes.
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