Russia clamps down on WhatsApp and Telegram over data sharing | Russia

Russia announced restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram’s messaging practices, and accused the platforms it has foreign platforms of not sharing it with law enforcement officers in fraud and terrorism cases.

Moscow clashed with foreign technology platforms for several years on content and data storage in a dispute that focused on Russia’s full -scale Ukraine in February 2022. Critics say that Russia is trying to expand the country’s control over the internet area.

Vladimir Putin allowed Moscow to develop a state -supported messaging application with government services, as he tried to determine what he calls digital sovereignty by introducing Moscow’s home -breeding services and reducing his dependence on foreign platforms.

Interfax News Agency, communication organizer Roskomnadzor’d quoted in a statement, “To resist criminals… These foreign journalists to partially restrict the calls to measures are taken.” He said. “No other restrictions are applied to its functionality.”

Russia’s Digital Ministry said: “Access to the calls in foreign hands will be restored after it starts to comply with the Russian legislation.”

In a statement, whatsapp’s owner Meta said, “WhatsApp is special, end -to -end encrypted and trying to violate the right to guarantee communication of people, so Russia is trying to prevent it from more than 100 million Russian people.

Telegram said that “sabotage or violence, as well as calls for fraud, and fought the misuse of the platform” and “lifting millions of harmful content every day”.

Reuters reported that sound calls in Telegram have barely worked since August 11, and whatsApp calls were made impossible due to intermittent sound and metallic buzz.

The Ministry of Digital Development said that Telegram and WhatsApp have ignored the demands of taking measures to stop the use of platforms for activities such as fraud and terrorism.

Anton Gorelkin, Vice President of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee of the Parliament, said that platforms should cooperate with Roskomnadzor and law enforcement officers as part of their compliance with Russian laws in order to open legal persons in Russia and to remove blocking measures.

In 2022, Meta was labeled by Moscow as an extremist organization, but was allowed to remain WhatsApp, which is widely used in Russia. Messenger received some penalties for not being able to remove the prohibited information by Russia.

Gorelkin said last month WhatsApp should be preparing to leave the market. Another deputy described WhatsApp’s presence in the Russian market as a violation of national security.

Critics expressed their concerns that Russia’s new state -supported messaging application may monitor the activities of users and claim that Russia could slow down whatsApp’s speeds to ensure that users move to the new platform.

The Human Rights Monitoring Organization said last month that the Russian government has increased its technological capacities and increases the control over the country’s internet infrastructure and allowed more widespread blocking and shortening of unwanted websites and censorship -thrusting tools.