Russia announced the preparation of measures to ban the messaging app WhatsApp, citing that WhatsApp does not comply with national legislation and does not cooperate with the Interior Ministry in order to prevent crimes. The officials have warned that if WhatsApp does not meet the requirements of the law, a complete ban on WhatsApp services might be imposed. They also suggested that citizens switch to domestic messaging applications instead of WhatsApp.
These statements brought a response from Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp. It said that Russia is trying to violate users' rights to keep their data and communication secure. Meta further accused the government of planning a ban because WhatsApp bars authorities from accessing user information.
WhatsApp and Telegram are the two most used messaging platforms in Russia, and this data is repeatedly sought by the government to trace terrorist activity and fraud. Last August, Russia blocked WhatsApp voice calls and asked people to switch over to the domestic messaging app "Max," which lacks end-to-end encryption.
Experts say the Putin administration's efforts indicate a reduction of digital rights and suppression of Ukrainian supporters within Russia.
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