Roskomnadzor, the Russian media and internet regulator, recently slap new restrictions on the two most popular messaging apps, WhatsApp and Telegram, for failure to share their data on customers. The government body says that such measures were taken due to the unwillingness of both entities to play by its rules.
In order to “counteract criminals”, both WhatsApp and Telegram have had their ability to provide voice calls on the services kneecapped. Roskomnadzor says that no other restrictions have been imposed on their functionality, though it is hard to take the government body’s word at face value.
“Access to calls in foreign messengers will be restored after they start complying with Russian legislation.”
Reuters has managed to verify these restrictions, stating that voice calls on Telegram have barely functioned since 11 August, while WhatsApp calls are marred by intermittent sounds and a metallic buzzing.
Roskomnadzor says that both WhatsApp and Telegram have repeatedly ignored requests to take measures to stop their platform being used for criminal activities. For these restrictions to be lifted, both messaging apps are required to open legal entities in Russia and cooperate with the body and local law enforcement.
Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, stayed defiant towards Roskomnadzor. “WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people. We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia,” the company said in a statement.
This is not the first time that the two messaging apps have jousted with the Russian government, and it is unlikely to be the last. The issue has since been further exacerbated by the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022; it found Meta’s other two platforms, Facebook and Instagram, guilty of allowing users in several countries to post threats towards Russian soldiers and the country’s President, Vladimir Putin.
