Both WhatsApp and Telegram have been blocked in Russia as the government tries to force people to use its unencrypted WeChat clone, Max. All messages sent and received in Max can be read by the government.
The government also blocked access to Facebook and Instagram, and designated parent company Meta as “an extremist organization” …
Russia has been making it increasingly difficult to use Telegram over the past few weeks, and has now effectively blocked access altogether.
The Financial Times reports that the country has now done the same to WhatsApp, along with access to Facebook and Instagram.
Millions of Russians were abruptly cut off from the encrypted WhatsApp messaging service on Wednesday afternoon after months of efforts to force them on to a “national messenger” built for surveillance.
Russian authorities removed the Meta-owned app, which had at least 100mn users in the country until recently, from the equivalent of an online directory run by Roskomnadzor, the internet regulator, earlier on Wednesday.
Russia is able to do this as it routes all internet traffic within the country through government servers.
Blocking access to Telegram seems a rather dumb move as it is widely used by Russian soldiers on the front line of the Ukraine invasion, who rely on it for alerts about drone and missile attacks as well as remaining in touch with family and friends back home. Even Putin’s own supporters have reportedly been angered by the development.
Engadget notes that Meta has been designated “an extremist organization” in Russia.
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