Russia is considering banning the messaging app Whatsapp.
Whatsapp may soon be history in Russia. Illustration image. Mostphotos
Russia is considering banning the messaging app Whatsapp, says Institute of the Study of War in his report.
Members of the Duma and the Federal Council proposed banning the messaging service as part of a broader initiative aimed at strengthening the Kremlin’s grip on Russian communications.
Whatsapp’s parent company Meta announced on September 13 that the messaging app launched a new one Channels-function to 150 countries – probably also to Russia.
Channels are a one-way communication method, with which, for example, people, authorities, organizations or sports clubs can send information to others. A similar function has been in the competing Telegram application for a long time.
Russia has previously declared Meta an extremist organization and has banned Facebook and Instagram, among other things.
“Forbidden information”
According to ISW, the head of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council Viktor Bondarevhead of the information policy committee of the Duma Alexander Khinstein and the deputy chairman of the Duma Anton Gorelkin said that Russia should consider blocking Whatsapp in Russia if Whatsapp starts Russian-language Channels.
Ukrainian media Euromaidan Press According to the Russian censorship authority Roskomnadzor, it has announced that it is ready to limit WhatsApp’s operation in Russia, if “prohibited information” is spread on the messaging service’s channels.
Roskomnadzor has also threatened to take action against the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Russian media Medusa according to Russia started its own online dictionary in 2022 called R universalwhich has no articles about the war in Ukraine.