WhatsApp claims Russia violates individuals' rights to secure communication
The company issued an official statement after Russian authorities restricted the use of WhatsApp and Telegram for residents of the country.
“WhatsApp is confidential, protected by end-to-end encryption by default, and opposes attempts by governments to violate people’s right to secure communication — that’s exactly why Russian authorities are trying to block WhatsApp for over 100 million of our users in the country,” WhatsApp said in a statement posted on the X network.
The company also said it intends to do everything it can *“to ensure that end-to-end encrypted communication remains available to people around the world, including in Russia.”
Earlier, Telegram’s press service told the BBC Russian Service that the app was operating normally and that “any connection issues users are experiencing are not caused by Telegram’s technical malfunctions.”
On Wednesday, August 13, Roskomnadzor officially announced that Russia was “taking measures to partially restrict calls” on Telegram and WhatsApp. The authorities justified the partial blocking of calls on these apps by “fighting fraudsters.”
