Russia blocks WhatsApp over Meta non-compliance, pushes state-backed MAX messenger
India Today
Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp over Meta's alleged failure to comply with local laws, urging users to shift to the state-backed messaging app MAX. The move is part of Moscow's push for a "sovereign" communications system amid wartime controls and tighter regulation of foreign tech firms.
Russia has fully blocked US-based messaging platform WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, over what the Kremlin described as the company’s failure to comply with local laws. The move comes amid a broader push by Russian authorities to promote a state-backed “national messenger” called MAX.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the decision on Thursday, saying the government had implemented the block because of Meta’s non-compliance.
"Due to Meta's unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed made and implemented," Peskov told reporters, urging citizens to switch to MAX.
"MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative," he said.
Critics have described MAX as a surveillance tool, an allegation Russian authorities deny. Officials say the platform integrates various government-related services and aims to simplify citizens’ daily lives.
The move follows six months of mounting pressure on WhatsApp and reflects Moscow’s broader effort, particularly during wartime, to establish what it calls a “sovereign” communications infrastructure. Under this framework, foreign technology companies must comply with Russian laws or face removal from the market.
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