Russia blocks WhatsApp messaging service, Meta responds

Russian authorities have ⁠removed ⁠Meta Platforms-owned ‌WhatsApp, which ​had at least ​100 million ⁠users in the country ⁠until ‌recently, from the ‌equivalent of ⁠an online directory ‌run ‌by ‌the ‌internet regulator.

Russian IT regulatory agency has blocked ⁠Meta Platforms-owned ‌WhatsApp.

WhatsApp has more than 100 million active users in Russia. It offers end-to-end encryption, and though, it has been targeted by state-sponsored spyware in the past, the messenger apps is very popular among human activists, politicians and journalists worldwide.

Reacting to the sudden suspension of WhatsApp, the company has responded that the move by the government is 'backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia'

"Today, the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app. Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia. We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected," said WhatsApp on X platform.

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