US EditionRussia Blocks Telegram, WhatsApp, YouTube via National DNS System
Russian authorities have throttled WhatsApp and Telegram to enforce data laws and promote Max, a state-backed app with 70 million monthly users, raising surveillance concerns.
- 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.
262 Articles
262 Articles
Russia has completely banned WhatsApp, the world's most popular social media platform. Russia claims the US-based company Meta was not complying with Russian laws. Therefore, the ban has been imposed.
After Telegram, WhatsApp, in turn, denounces attempts to block Russia. Moscow is seeking to force more than 100 million users to abandon encrypted communication for a national platform under Kremlin's supervision, according to the company.
Russia blocks WhatsApp over Meta non-compliance, pushes state-backed MAX messenger
Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp over Meta’s alleged failure to comply with local laws, urging users to shift to the state-backed messaging app MAX. The move is part of Moscow’s push for a “sovereign” communications system amid wartime controls and tighter regulation of foreign tech firms.
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