US EditionRussia Blocks Telegram, WhatsApp, YouTube via National DNS System
Russian authorities blocked WhatsApp and restricted Telegram to promote Max, a state-backed app pre-installed on devices, affecting over 100 million users, critics warn of surveillance risks.
- On Tuesday, Roskomnadzor imposed restrictions on Telegram, with outage-monitoring services reporting complaints surged to around 15,000 after problems that began in January.
- Roskomnadzor said it was imposing restrictions because Telegram allegedly violated Russian law, accusing it of failing to combat fraud and criminal use, and announced phased limits to ensure compliance amid Kremlin efforts promoting the state-backed Max and a so-called 'sovereign internet'.
- Media-Heavy features such as voice notes and videos largely failed to load, while text messages generally continued to work, and mobile apps were more affected than desktop clients.
- Many users turned to virtual private networks to bypass throttling as authorities push towards Max, which reached 70 million monthly users in December, disrupting work for some Russians.
- Russia's data-localization laws underpin recent enforcement efforts, and Roskomnadzor has previously targeted foreign services like WhatsApp and YouTube, complicating enforcement as Durov left Russia years ago.
311 Articles
311 Articles
Russia shuts down WhatsApp, promotes state-backed app
The digital curtain is falling in Russia as the Kremlin officially pulled the plug on WhatsApp. For years, it was the country’s most popular messaging app, with more than 100 million users. But as of this week, it’s been erased from the national internet directory. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the move is a direct result of Meta’s refusal to comply with Russian laws regarding data sharing and content deletion. The government is now pu…
WhatsApp says Russia tries to block its messaging service
WhatsApp said the Russian government has moved to “fully block” the world’s most popular messaging service in the country as part of an effort to drive adoption of a new, state-sponsored app. WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms Inc., said in a statement Wednesday that it was doing everything it could to keep its more than 100 million Russian users connected. The announcement came after Russia removed the technical internet records that connect pla…
The company claims that Kremlin wants to force more than 100 million Russians to the 'without encryption' platform
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