in the WhatsApp messenger “everything will be fine”
The head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs Maksut Shadayev told the media about the work of the WhatsApp messenger in Russia that everything will be fine with this service.
The minister was asked to comment on the situation with the app in general amid discussions about its blocking in Russia. “I am sure that everything will be fine,” Shadayev answered the question.
On September 14, 2023, Roskomnadzor informed the mass media that the American messenger WhatsApp, owned by the company Meta* (* – recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation, its activities are prohibited), will be blocked in the Russian Federation if the project distributes prohibited information among the country’s users.
“The appearance of unfriendly channels with prohibited information will immediately lead to a demand for their removal, and in case of refusal – to blocking. The requirements of Russian legislation apply to all companies, including messengers and social networks, operating in our country and targeting Russian users. The application of measures for non-compliance with the laws of the Russian Federation directly depends on the administrations of such companies and the decisions they make,” the report of Roskomnadzor specifies.
The regulator strongly recommends Russian organizations and users to switch to domestic services operating in Russian jurisdiction and complying with Russian legislation.
On September 13, the WhatsApp messenger announced the launch of channels in more than 150 countries. It is planned that they will be available to all users of the program by the end of 2023. Channels will be in the Current tab, separate from chats. Subscribers’ phone numbers will be hidden from channel members and the administrator. In turn, the administrator’s phone number and photo will be hidden from subscribers.
The new feature may lead to the blocking of the messenger near Russia. Anton Gorelkin, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, announced this almost immediately after the announcement of WhatsApp.
The Federation Council did not rule out the possibility of blocking the popular WhatsApp messenger in Russia after the appearance of news channels there. As an alternative to the American application, citizens are offered to use “Yandex Messenger” or Telegram. It is also suggested to think about a domestic messenger based on the example of China.