WhatsApp opposes restrictions to its service in Russia

Russia’s communications regulator that it would completely block WhatsApp if it did not comply with its demands to bring its services into line with Russian law

WhatsApp opposes restrictions to its service in Russia on Tuesday, accusing the authorities of trying to deprive more than 100 million Russians of what the company called the right to private communications before the holiday season.

WhatsApp’s statement followed a repeat warning by Russia’s communications regulator that it would completely block WhatsApp if it did not comply with its demands to bring its services into line with Russian law.

WhatsApp continues to violate Russian law. The messenger is used to organise and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens, Roskomnadzor, the regulator, told Russian state media.

The regulator said it was taking measures to gradually restrict WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, as a result.

There were outages and slowdowns on Tuesday, according to monitoring websites.

A dispute with foreign tech providers intensified after Moscow’s February 2022 conflict with Ukraine, with Russia blocking Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, slowing the speed of Alphabet’s YouTube and issuing fines to platforms that failed to comply with Russian rules on online content and data storage.

In restricting access to WhatsApp, the Russian government aims to take away the right to private, end-to-end encrypted communication from over 100 million people, right before the holiday season in Russia, a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

The move, as WhatsApp perceives it to be, is less secure for Russians.

The spokesperson added: WhatsApp is deeply embedded in the fabric of every community in the country – from parent and workplace groups to friends, neighbourhood, and extended family chats across Russian regions. We’re committed to fighting for our users because shifting people onto government-mandated apps may be less secure.