Apple and Meta have publicly opposed a Canadian bill they say could force technology companies to weaken encryption on devices and online services if it becomes law.
Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp for failing to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said on Thursday, marking a sharp escalation in Moscow’s campaign to tighten control over foreign technology platforms.
Russia has begun slowing down the Telegram messaging application, with Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal communications regulator, set to implement partial restrictions from 10 February, following a wave of fines and administrative cases accusing the platform of hosting illegal content.
WhatsApp said Russia was trying to block its services because the social media messaging app owned by Meta Platforms META.O offered people's right to secure communication, and vowed to continue trying to make encrypted services available in Russia.
Russian authorities are moving to limit certain calling functions on Telegram and WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta Platforms, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing communications regulator Roskomnadzor.
Meta has announced it will halt political, electoral, and social issue ads in the European Union from October due to the region's new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation (TTPA).
The US House of Representatives has banned Meta’s WhatsApp from all government-issued devices, citing serious cybersecurity risks and lack of transparency in user data protection.
Iranian state television on Tuesday called on citizens to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, without providing specific evidence, claiming that the Meta-owned messaging platform was collecting user data to send to Israel.
Brussels, February 17, 2025 – WhatsApp may soon face further regulatory scrutiny in the European Union after its open channels for news sources and public figures surpassed 46.8 million monthly users in the region during the latter half of 2024.
U.S. judge ruled on Friday in favour of Meta Platforms' WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel's NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorized surveillance.
Meta has laid off staff across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs to align with long-term goals.
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