WhatsApp Blocking in Russia: How Likely Is It and What to Replace the Messenger With
Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 6:42 am
This is not the first time that WhatsApp (owned by Meta, whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) has been blocked in Russia. The reason for this decision may be that the messenger belongs to a banned organization. In addition, on December 19 of this year, Roskomnadzor added WhatsApp to the register of information dissemination organizers, that is, services “that are de facto organizers of information dissemination, are recognized as such de jure in accordance with Russian legislation and are included in the register of ORI in the territory of the Russian Federation.”
After this, many started talking about the fact that blocking WhatsApp is a very real prospect. Now the situation depends on how much the service's management will comply with Russian legislation and what its position will be on the issue of storing information about users and correspondence, as well as providing this information at the request of the FSB.
At the moment, according to Oleg Matveychev, Deputy Chairman of bahamas mobile database the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, WhatsApp does not cooperate with the Russian authorities.
"WhatsApp has no contact with our law enforcement agencies. They regularly create extremist chats and recruit people. So something needs to be done about it, and we need to see how ready this service is to cooperate, given that no one is asking this structure for serious changes in moderation. We have made our move, now the "ball" is in WhatsApp's court," the deputy said.
According to the Federal Law "On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information" , the organizer of the distribution of information on the Internet is obliged to store on the territory of the Russian Federation data on the facts of reception, transmission, delivery and/or processing of voice information, written text, images, sounds, video or other electronic messages of users, as well as information about these users for one year from the moment of completion of such actions. Information about calls, text messages and files of Internet users must be stored for up to six months.
The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, Sergei Boyarsky, told TASS that information about the possible blocking of the messenger is a rumor.
"These are rumors, we cannot afford to comment on them. At the moment, there is no additional information other than the fact that the service has been added to the register of information dissemination organizers," Boyarsky said.
Another State Duma deputy, Sergei Kolunov, reported that the issue of blocking the messenger is not being discussed in parliament.
But according to Andrey Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, the likelihood of WhatsApp being blocked is quite high.
After this, many started talking about the fact that blocking WhatsApp is a very real prospect. Now the situation depends on how much the service's management will comply with Russian legislation and what its position will be on the issue of storing information about users and correspondence, as well as providing this information at the request of the FSB.
At the moment, according to Oleg Matveychev, Deputy Chairman of bahamas mobile database the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, WhatsApp does not cooperate with the Russian authorities.
"WhatsApp has no contact with our law enforcement agencies. They regularly create extremist chats and recruit people. So something needs to be done about it, and we need to see how ready this service is to cooperate, given that no one is asking this structure for serious changes in moderation. We have made our move, now the "ball" is in WhatsApp's court," the deputy said.
According to the Federal Law "On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information" , the organizer of the distribution of information on the Internet is obliged to store on the territory of the Russian Federation data on the facts of reception, transmission, delivery and/or processing of voice information, written text, images, sounds, video or other electronic messages of users, as well as information about these users for one year from the moment of completion of such actions. Information about calls, text messages and files of Internet users must be stored for up to six months.
The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, Sergei Boyarsky, told TASS that information about the possible blocking of the messenger is a rumor.
"These are rumors, we cannot afford to comment on them. At the moment, there is no additional information other than the fact that the service has been added to the register of information dissemination organizers," Boyarsky said.
Another State Duma deputy, Sergei Kolunov, reported that the issue of blocking the messenger is not being discussed in parliament.
But according to Andrey Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, the likelihood of WhatsApp being blocked is quite high.