| WhatsApp app. (Photo = Yonhap News) |
[알파경제=(시카고) 폴 리 특파원] The Russian government is attempting to completely block the WhatsApp messenger service operated by Metaplatforms within the country.
This is interpreted as a measure to encourage the spread of a new state-run messenger app sponsored by the Russian government.
According to Reuters on the 12th (local time), Russia deleted national Internet records linking major platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook with IP addresses.
This record acts as an ‘address book’ on the Internet, and if deleted, access to the service becomes impossible without a VPN.
Russia restricted WhatsApp’s video and voice calls in August last year, and most functions are currently available only through VPN.
“We are doing everything possible to keep our more than 100 million users connected in Russia,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
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| Russian citizens protesting against Google. (Photo = Yonhap News) |
The Kremlin is pressuring the use of Max, a state-run super app modeled after China’s WeChat. In addition to messaging, this app provides administrative services, document storage, and financial functions, and its use is mandatory for state workers such as civil servants and teachers. Some critics point out that the risk of surveillance by security agencies is high.
Russian telecommunications authorities also restricted access to Telegram, citing violation of local storage obligations for personal information.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticized it as “an attempt to force citizens into a state-run app for surveillance and political censorship.”
In addition, Western messenger services such as Snapchat, FaceTime, Discord, Viber, and Signal are also blocked in Russia, and the state-run app Max is benefiting from this.
Alpha Economy Correspondent Paul Lee (press@alphabiz.co.kr)
date: 2026-02-13 01:12:00