What just happened? Russia's long-running battle against WhatsApp and Telegram has taken a new turn. The country has announced new restrictions against the apps after it accused them of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.
Roskomnadzor, Russia's media and internet regulator, said that "in order to counteract criminals," measures were being taken to restrict voice calls on the messaging services. The agency added that "No other restrictions have been imposed on their functionality," though that may not be true.
Roskomnadzor added that according to law enforcement and "numerous appeals from citizens," Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used to deceive and extort money, and involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities.
Russia's government has long demanded that messaging services provide user data when requested by law enforcement.
Roskomnadzor said that "Access to calls in foreign messengers will be restored after they start complying with Russian legislation."
Reuters writes that voice calls on Telegram had barely functioned since August 11, while making calls on WhatsApp were impossible due to intermittent sound and a metallic buzzing.
Despite Russia's insistence that only voice calls have been restricted, many users say video calls have also been affected.
According to Russian media monitoring service Mediascope, there are 96 million monthly WhatsApp users in Russia and 89 million Telegram users.
Roskomnadzor said that WhatsApp and Telegram have repeatedly ignored requests to take measures to stop their platforms from being used for criminal activities. As part of the compliance with Russian law to lift the restrictions, the companies must open legal entities in Russia and cooperate with Roskomnadzor and law enforcement.
WhatsApp owner Meta gave a defiant response. "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.
Telegram said in its response that the firm "actively combats misuse of its platform, including calls for sabotage or violence, as well as fraud" and removes "millions of pieces of harmful content every day."
Moscow has fought a long-running battle against the two apps. It has repeatedly claimed Ukraine uses Telegram to recruit people and commit acts of terrorism in Russia. WhatsApp, meanwhile, has been fined on several occasions for refusing to store Russian user data in Russia.
☝️We demand that 🇺🇸 authorities stop the extremist activities of @Meta, take measures to bring the perpetrators to justice. Users of #Facebook & #Instagram did not give the owners of these platforms the right to determine the criteria of truth and pit nations against each other. https://t.co/1RkrjRmEtA pic.twitter.com/sTacSm4nDt
– Russian Embassy in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) March 11, 2022
Following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia found Facebook and Instagram guilty of "extremist activity" after they temporarily allowed users in several countries to post threats of violence and death towards Russian soldiers and President Vladimir Putin. But WhatsApp was allowed to remain in the country.
Russia wants to replace foreign messaging services with its own domestic app called Max, which will almost certainly allow authorities unfettered access to user data.