
In a significant move, Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked the Viber encrypted messaging app, citing violations of the country's strict information dissemination laws. The app, which is used by hundreds of millions globally, is now inaccessible in Russia following the regulator’s announcement, which stated that the company failed to comply with Russian requirements for digital platforms.
The Russian regulator pointed out that Viber’s actions posed potential risks, including the use of the app for terrorist and extremist activities, drug trafficking, and the spread of illegal information. The government’s stance reflects a broader concern about the app's role in facilitating communication without adequate control or oversight.
Viber has been one of the most widely used messaging platforms, available on both mobile and desktop devices. As of this month, the Android version of Viber has accumulated over 1 billion downloads on the Google Play Store, while the iOS version holds more than 744,000 ratings on the Apple App Store, further highlighting the app's popularity.
The move follows a pattern of increasing scrutiny by Russian authorities over foreign digital services. In June 2023, Viber was fined 1 million rubles after a Moscow court ruled that it had failed to remove content deemed illegal by the government, including posts related to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. This fine was part of a wider crackdown on digital content, with the Russian government aiming to curb the spread of what it considers harmful or unlawful information.
Earlier in 2023, Russia imposed a ban on several foreign messaging apps for government use, including Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp, and others. This action was followed by the blocking of Signal in August 2023, which was also accused of violating Russia’s anti-extremism and anti-terrorism laws.
The Russian government has also ramped up its efforts to control the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, with multiple VPN apps banned over the last few years for allegedly facilitating access to prohibited content. In a similar vein, Apple was forced to remove 25 VPN apps from the Russian App Store in August 2024 at the request of Roskomnadzor.
These developments reflect Russia's ongoing digital control policies, targeting foreign tech services that do not comply with local regulations and further isolating the country’s internet landscape from the global digital ecosystem.See What’s Next in Tech With the Fast Forward Newsletter
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