People visit Red Square in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.
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The Kremlin confirmed the lockdown on Thursday. Metahas scrapped its WhatsApp messaging service and said Russians should use a new state-backed platform called Max instead.
“Max is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market to the people,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday, Ria Novosti news agency reported.
On the same day, WhatsApp issued a statement saying Russia had attempted to “completely shut down” its messaging service in the country in order to lure people to Max, which it described as a “surveillance app.”
WhatsApp posted on social media platform
“Trying to isolate more than 100 million users from private and secure communications is a setback and will only make Russian citizens less safe,” it said, adding: “We will continue to do everything in our power to keep our users connected.”
Russia’s recent moves against social media platforms and messaging services such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram come amid a broader attempt to drive users to domestic services that can be more easily controlled and monitored, such as Max.
Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has accused messaging apps lTelegram and WhatsApp of failing to comply with Russian laws that require companies to store Russian users’ data in the country and of not putting in place measures to prevent the platforms from being used for alleged criminal or terrorist purposes.
The company has used this as a basis for regulations that have been implemented since last year, slowing down or cutting off operations.
Critics say the most important objectives of Russia’s strategy are to limit freedom of expression and privacy, monitor and control discourse surrounding the war against Ukraine, and monitor the population for criticism of the government and Russian military. CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for further comment and is awaiting a response.
Telegram, founded by Russian developers and headquartered in Dubai, has been a prime target of Roskomnadzor’s increased surveillance and restrictions, with users reporting poor app performance since January, The Moscow Times reported this week. In August last year, the communications watchdog partially restricted calls on Telegram and WhatsApp.
Roskomnadzor, officially known as the Federal Supervisory Service for Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, accused Telegram on Wednesday of violating Russian law by failing to prevent illegal activities on the app and failing to protect users’ data.
“In this regard, Roskomnadzor, as determined by the competent authorities, will continue to introduce restrictions on an ongoing basis in order to comply with Russian law and ensure the protection of the population,” it said in a statement reported by RBC news agency.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on Wednesday that Roskomnadzor’s decision to curtail Telegram’s operations was “due to the fact that the company does not comply with the requirements of Russian law.”
“It’s unfortunate that the company is not complying, but there are laws that must be followed,” Peskov told the state-run TASS news agency.
Russia’s communications watchdog said on Wednesday that it is ready to cooperate with any domestic and foreign internet resources as long as they respect Russian laws and people.
