The post Russia Moves to Block WhatsApp, Pushes 100M Users to State-Controlled ‘Surveillance App’ appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

In brief WhatsApp said Russia attempted a full block of its service on Thursday, calling the move an effort to funnel over 100 million users toward a state-owned app without encryption. Kremlin spokesman Peskov warns there is “no chance” of either service returning without dialogue. Russia’s Max app, mandatory on new devices since 2025, has been flagged by digital rights advocates as a government surveillance tool in waiting. Russia moved to fully block WhatsApp on Thursday, with the Meta-owned company saying Moscow is trying to push over 100 million of its Russian users onto a state-controlled “surveillance app” as the Kremlin strengthens its crackdown on foreign messaging platforms. “Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” WhatsApp tweeted. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.” Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app. Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia.… — WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) February 12, 2026 Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, has simultaneously moved to restrict Telegram, saying it will continue imposing limitations until the app complies with local law, state-owned news agency TASS reported. The coordinated pressure campaign fits a pattern that digital rights advocates say is increasingly common among authoritarian governments. “Yeah, we’ve seen this before. China, Iran, and now Russia. Same pattern every time — block the foreign platforms, spin up a domestic app, call it ‘sovereignty’ or ‘security,’” Shady El Damaty, co-founder of human.mind, and digital rights advocate, told Decrypt. “And what happens is exactly what we all expect. The new platform…

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Filed under: News - @ February 12, 2026 10:28 am