Russia Restricts WhatsApp & Telegram Calls: alleging criminal, terrorist activity
Russia Restricts WhatsApp And Telegram: Russia has announced a partial ban on WhatsApp and Telegram. They alleges that WhatsApp and Telegram are not providing the necessary information to law enforcement agencies in cases related to fraud and terrorism. Let us tell you that the dispute between Russia and foreign tech companies regarding content and data storage is not new. This conflict has been going on for many years. After the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, this dispute increased further. Regarding this, experts say that Russia is continuously tightening control over its internet space.
What is the ban on WhatsApp and Telegram?
At present, the calling feature of WhatsApp and Telegram has been partially banned in Russia. Regarding this, the Russian communication regulator “Roskomnadzor” has said that, apart from calling, no other feature of these apps has been banned at present. The Digital Ministry says that the ban on calls will be lifted only when these companies follow Russian law.
Putin ordered to make his app
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a government messaging app. This app will be linked with government services. Russia is calling it digital sovereignty. The purpose of bringing it is to increase the use of domestic apps. Russia wants to reduce its dependence on foreign apps.
What does Meta say?
In this regard, WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, said in a statement that WhatsApp is completely end-to-end encrypted, and it opposes such efforts of the government that do not respect the privacy of the people. This is the reason why Russia wants to block it. Meta said that it will continue to try to provide safe communication facilities to all people of the world, including Russia. At the same time, Telegram has said in its statement that it continuously works to prevent misuse of its platform and removes millions of harmful contents every day.
What is the current situation?
Currently, according to a Reuters report, voice calls on Telegram have not been working properly since August 11. And WhatsApp calls are facing problems with voice breaks and strange sounds. The ministry says that both companies have ignored repeated requests to prevent activities like fraud and terrorism. Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the Information Technology Committee of the Russian Parliament, said that both these foreign companies will have to open a legal entity in Russia and cooperate with law enforcement agencies and Roskomnadzor; only then can the ban be lifted. Let us tell you that Meta was declared an “extremist organization” by Russia in 2022. However, WhatsApp was not banned from being used in the country. However, recently, an MP called it a threat to national security and advised preparing to leave the market.
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