Russia’s state communications regulator warned on Friday that WhatsApp could be blocked entirely if it does not comply with Russian law, according to reports from news agencies.
In August, Russia restricted certain calls on WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta Platforms (META.O), as well as on Telegram. Authorities accused these foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in cases involving fraud and terrorism.
On Friday, the Roskomnadzor watchdog repeated its accusation that WhatsApp is failing to meet Russian requirements aimed at preventing and combating crime. Interfax quoted the
agency as saying, “If the messaging service continues to fail to meet the demands of Russian legislation, it will be completely blocked.”
WhatsApp has responded by accusing Moscow of attempting to prevent millions of Russians from accessing secure communication.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities are promoting a state-backed rival app called MAX. Critics argue that the app could be used to monitor users, though state media have rejected those claims as false.
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