Russia to launch govt-backed chat app, raising surveillance fears as WhatsApp and Telegram sidelined

MOSCOW, June 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a law authorising the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow strives to reduce its dependence on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Russia has long sought to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services. Its push to replace foreign tech platforms became more urgent as some Western companies pulled out of the Russian market following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russian lawmakers say the state app will have functionality that the likes of Telegram and Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp do not. Critics say the fact that Russia will exercise state control over it poses risks to privacy and personal freedoms.

Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, a Russian digital rights group, said earlier this month he expected Russia to slow the speeds of WhatsApp and Telegram to encourage people to switch over to the new app. — Reuters