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.
Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.
"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," WhatsApp said in a statement.
"We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia."
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with critics saying that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country's internet space.
President Vladimir Putin has authorised the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow seeks to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services and reducing its dependence on platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
"In order to counteract criminals... measures are being taken to partially restrict calls on these foreign messengers," the Interfax news agency quoted communications regulator Roskomnadzor as saying.
"No other restrictions have been imposed on their functionality."
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a €500 million loan (almost $590 million) to the national gas company Nafto...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, a day before U.S. President Donald Trump ...
A major forest fire in northern Morocco is now largely under control, though efforts to fully extinguish it are still underway, the national water and...
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein may be sentenced in New York on 30 September, depending on whether prosecutors move ahead with a retrial ov...
Supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) threw flares and firecrackers at anti-government protesters in Novi Sad on Wednesday evening,...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, a day before U.S. President Donald Trump holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
A major forest fire in northern Morocco is now largely under control, though efforts to fully extinguish it are still underway, the national water and forests agency (ANEF) said on Wednesday.
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein may be sentenced in New York on 30 September, depending on whether prosecutors move ahead with a retrial over an unresolved rape allegation.
Supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) threw flares and firecrackers at anti-government protesters in Novi Sad on Wednesday evening, according to Reuters, prompting police to intervene to end the standoff, a major escalation of nine-month-long protests in Serbia.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, a day before U.S. President Donald Trump holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
A major forest fire in northern Morocco is now largely under control, though efforts to fully extinguish it are still underway, the national water and forests agency (ANEF) said on Wednesday.
Supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) threw flares and firecrackers at anti-government protesters in Novi Sad on Wednesday evening, according to Reuters, prompting police to intervene to end the standoff, a major escalation of nine-month-long protests in Serbia.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 14th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Pakistan will create a new force in the military to supervise missile combat capabilities in a conventional conflict, apparently a move to match the neighbouring arch-rival India.
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