Russian Federal Information Technologies and Mass Communication Supervision Agency (Roskomnadzor) reported that access to WhatsApp may be blocked if illegal information is included in its newly opened channels.In the written statement made by Roskomnadzor, evaluations regarding the “Channels” feature opened by WhatsApp in some countries were included.
It was stated in the statement that Russian laws apply to all companies, “This includes messaging applications and social media networks targeting Russian users. The emergence of hostile channels containing prohibited information will result in a request for their immediate removal, and failure to do so will result in the blocking of the application.” It was said.
In the statement, Russian institutions and individuals were also advised to switch to domestic practices.
Meta company, which owns WhatsApp, was defined as an “extremist organization” on the grounds that it spread illegal information in Russia, while access to the company’s Facebook and Instagram platforms was blocked last year.