russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzorโข warnedโ on Tuesday it may fully โban โคWhatsApp within the country, citing the messaging app’s violations of Russian dataโค storage lawsโ and its failure too cooperate with authorities. The potential โขban escalates tensions between Moscow and the Meta-owned platform,impacting millions of Russian โusers who rely on โฃWhatsApp for personal andโ business dialog.
The threat โฃfollowsโค repeated warningsโข and fines levied against Meta for not storing userโ data โon servers within Russia,โค a requirement under a 2015 law. โขRoskomnadzor alleges WhatsApp hasโ repeatedly ignored these demands and has also failed to โคadequately โaddress requests for information related to user โaccounts.โค A complete ban would mark a significant step in Russia’s increasingโ control over itsโ digitalโ sphere, mirroring previousโ actions โtaken againstโข platformsโ like Twitter and Facebook.
Roskomnadzor stated it has โdocumented “systematic violations” by whatsapp,and that these breaches pose a risk to theโฃ rights โฃand freedoms of Russian โcitizens. โThe regulator has the authority to block access to online services that fail to comply with Russian โlaw. โข The agencyโข did not specify a timeline for a potential ban, but indicated it is considering all available measures.
WhatsApp currently has an estimated โข72 million monthly active usersโค in Russia, according to Statista data from Febuary 2024. A โคban would force users to migrateโฃ to choice messaging apps, potentially bolstering domestic platforms like Telegram, which already enjoys significant popularity in the country.
“We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of โขour users,” a Meta spokesperson โsaid โin aโค statement. โข”We are reviewing the โlatest information and willโ continue toโ advocate for the right of people to connect โคfreely and โsecurely.”
Russia has been increasingly assertive in its efforts to control the flow of information online,โ notably since its invasion of โUkraine in โFebruary 2022. Theโ government has implemented stricter regulationsโ on social media platforms and has actively blocked accessโ to independent news โsources. Theโ potential ban โon WhatsApp is seen by many as a โคcontinuation of โฃthis trend,โฃ further isolating Russia’s digital landscape.
