Russia Restricts WhatsApp And Telegram Voice Calls

Russia announced on Wednesday that voice calls on the messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp will be restricted. The government accuses the platforms of failing to provide law enforcement with information related to fraud and terrorism.

According to Al Jazeera, Russia’s media and internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the measure to restrict phone calls was necessary to combat crime.

“According to law enforcement agencies and numerous appeals from citizens, foreign messengers Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used to deceive and extort money, and to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities,” said Roskomnadzor in a statement.

The Russian media research firm Mediascope estimates that the restrictions could affect about 96 million monthly WhatsApp users and 89 million Telegram users.

Roskomnadzor explained that it is requiring these platforms to comply with Russian legislation and provide the requested information whenever authorities consider it necessary.

According to Reuters, WhatsApp said that the Russian government wants the company to remove the end-to-end encryption, something the tech giant considers non-negotiable.

“WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people,” said WhatsApp to Reuters in a statement. “We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia.”

Telegram—Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov—said it has been using moderators and AI tools to monitor malicious content and tackle unauthorized operations. “Telegram actively combats harmful use of its platform, including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud,” said the company in a statement.

Russian authorities said that only voice calls were restricted, but users have reported that video calls have been impacted, too.

The country has also been in multiple disputes with other tech companies. Earlier this year, the government fined Google over YouTube content, and last year it shut down AdSense accounts.