On August 9, Russia’s telecom regulator Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of messaging app Signal, citing “violations of Russian law.” According to the agency, Signal, a free and open-source app that offers secure instant messaging, has been used for “terrorist and extremist purposes.”
This blockage has sparked a wave of complaints from users in Russia, who reported difficulties accessing the app without the use of a VPN or other tools to circumvent restrictions. According to the English-language newspaper Moscow TimesSignal’s problems began on the evening of August 8, according to data from monitoring services Downradar and Failure.rf. By 6:00 p.m. that day, more than 2,200 users had reported issues with the app.
Service disruptions were reported by residents of several regions of the country, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar Krai, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Novosibirsk, and the Russian republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, according to Moscow Times.
Possible WhatsApp and YouTube Blocking
In parallel, the Russian government has also reportedly begun preparations to block the messaging app WhatsApp, the independent Russian publication reported. Verstka on August 9, citing sources within Russian technology company VK, which is developing an app to replace WhatsApp.
In addition, rumors about a possible YouTube block in September have gained strength. Although the pro-Kremlin media Gazeta.ru While the government was reported in July to be planning to completely block YouTube, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the claims. However, concerns remain, especially since YouTube, with 93 million users in Russia, is considered the “last bastion of free speech and information” amid the government’s increasing crackdown on media and the internet.
On August 8, thousands of Russian users complained about a massive outage on YouTube, stating that they were unable to access the website from their internet browsers.
Repression of Free Information
The Russian government has tightened its grip on online information since the invasion of Ukraine, imposing fines and restrictions on platforms that fail to comply with its demands. In April, a Moscow court rejected Google parent Alphabet’s appeal to overturn a $50 million fine imposed for failing to remove information Russia deems “discrediting” its military and promoting extremist content — a term frequently used by the Kremlin to describe any reporting that contradicts state propaganda.
These measures are part of a broader strategy by the Russian government to limit access to information that is not aligned with its official narrative, using technology and censorship as tools to silence dissent and control the flow of information within the country.
via: Kyiv Independent
