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In Russia, talk has returned of a possible blocking of WhatsApp (owned by Meta, which is designated as extremist and banned in Russia).
This time, it's at the State Duma level. Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, stated that the messenger systematically ignores Russian laws and poses direct risks to citizens' security.
According to him, under these conditions, shutting down the service is a matter of time. Nemkin recalled that WhatsApp is owned by Meta Corporation, which is designated as extremist in Russia and banned. Moreover, the deputy claims the company fails to comply with regulatory requirements, refuses to operate according to Russian regulations, and fails to localize user data.
The latest round of discussion was sparked by widespread outages and a rise in fraud related to the messenger. According to the parliamentarian, attacks on WhatsApp users will increase 3.5-fold by 2025. Thousands of accounts have been hacked, data has been stolen, and "cloned" profiles have been created, allowing attackers to deceive people.
This month, for example, we reported that an eight-year-old WhatsApp vulnerability allowed for the collection of 3.5 billion phone numbers. The most disturbing aspect of this story is that researchers first warned about the problem back in 2017, but the company still hasn't patched the breach until recently.
Meanwhile, monitoring services continue to receive complaints: "Sbail RF" reported nearly 1,500 complaints from across the country. The service is regularly accused of technical glitches and security issues, which the company makes no attempt to fix.
He emphasized that the situation has long since exceeded the limits of tolerance: "When a service systematically ignores our rules, threatens people's safety, and continues to operate without respect for the country's laws, its blocking is only a matter of time." While there are no official decisions yet, the rhetoric is becoming increasingly harsh. Judging by the deputy's statement, the discussion of WhatsApp's fate in Russia could soon move to a practical level.
As a reminder, this summer we discussed whether WhatsApp could overcome the loss of public trust and regulatory pressure. What vulnerabilities threaten the messenger's users? Will it be blocked in Russia?
This time, it's at the State Duma level. Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, stated that the messenger systematically ignores Russian laws and poses direct risks to citizens' security.
According to him, under these conditions, shutting down the service is a matter of time. Nemkin recalled that WhatsApp is owned by Meta Corporation, which is designated as extremist in Russia and banned. Moreover, the deputy claims the company fails to comply with regulatory requirements, refuses to operate according to Russian regulations, and fails to localize user data.
The latest round of discussion was sparked by widespread outages and a rise in fraud related to the messenger. According to the parliamentarian, attacks on WhatsApp users will increase 3.5-fold by 2025. Thousands of accounts have been hacked, data has been stolen, and "cloned" profiles have been created, allowing attackers to deceive people.
This month, for example, we reported that an eight-year-old WhatsApp vulnerability allowed for the collection of 3.5 billion phone numbers. The most disturbing aspect of this story is that researchers first warned about the problem back in 2017, but the company still hasn't patched the breach until recently.
Meanwhile, monitoring services continue to receive complaints: "Sbail RF" reported nearly 1,500 complaints from across the country. The service is regularly accused of technical glitches and security issues, which the company makes no attempt to fix.
He emphasized that the situation has long since exceeded the limits of tolerance: "When a service systematically ignores our rules, threatens people's safety, and continues to operate without respect for the country's laws, its blocking is only a matter of time." While there are no official decisions yet, the rhetoric is becoming increasingly harsh. Judging by the deputy's statement, the discussion of WhatsApp's fate in Russia could soon move to a practical level.
As a reminder, this summer we discussed whether WhatsApp could overcome the loss of public trust and regulatory pressure. What vulnerabilities threaten the messenger's users? Will it be blocked in Russia?