WhatsApp, Telegram Claims Russia is Attempting to Block Its Service

WhatsApp, Telegram on Thursday claims that Russia is trying to block its services because the app offers people the right to secure communication.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, vowed to continue efforts to restore its app's services in Russia.

Russia has begun restricting some calls on Telegram and WhatsApp, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of not sharing data with law enforcement in cases of fraud and terrorism.

"WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted and defies governments' efforts to violate people's right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it for over 100 million



Russian citizens," WhatsApp said in a statement.

"We will continue to do everything we can to make encrypted communication possible for people everywhere, including in Russia," the statement said.

Telegram said its moderators are using artificial intelligence tools to monitor public parts of the platform and remove millions of harmful messages every day.

"Telegram actively combats harmful use of its platform, including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud," Telegram said in a statement.

Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage.