Vladimir Putin Developing State-Owned Messenger to Replace WhatsApp and Telegram

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law today allowing the development of a state-owned messaging application that will be integrated into government services. The aim is to reduce Russia’s reliance on messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. For some time, Russia has been striving to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting domestic services. The urgency to replace foreign tech platforms increased as some Western companies withdrew from the Russian market following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian lawmakers claim that the state app will feature functionalities not available on Telegram or WhatsApp from Meta Platforms. However, many view this move with skepticism, fearing that Russia may exert state control, posing risks to privacy and personal freedoms. Mikhail Klimarov, director of the Internet Protection Society, a Russian digital rights group, stated earlier this month that he expects Russia to slow down the speeds of WhatsApp and Telegram to encourage people to switch to the new app.