Fri 15 September 2023:
Russian State Duma and Federation Council members proposed blocking WhatsApp if it launches Russian language channels, according to a US think-tank who says the bid is “likely part of the Kremlin’s broader initiative to establish central control over the Russian information space”.
On Wednesday, Meta announced it would launch a WhatsApp channel feature, that would function similar to Telegram, in over 150 countries.
Russian lawmakers issued a warning that WhatsApp could face a potential block in the country, similar to Facebook and Instagram, if the app’s features are expanded beyond being just a messaging platform.
All three platforms are owned by Meta, which was designated an extremist organization in Russia shortly after the outbreak of the fighting in Ukraine in February 2022.
As a result, Facebook and Instagram were banned in the country for allowing hate speech against Russian nationals and for distributing what was deemed false content about the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. WhatsApp avoided restrictions back then, being classed as solely a communication tool. according to RT.
WhatsApp’s announcement on Wednesday that its Channels feature, introduced in some places earlier this year, will be made available in 150 countries is a cause for “particular concern,” Senator Viktor Bondarev, a member of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, wrote on his Telegram-channel on Thursday.
“Such a path in the development of the messaging platform might lead to its transformation into a means of information warfare,” employed to disseminate false data about Russia or the war in Ukraine, he said. “Therefore, the introduction of mechanisms to combat those threats and the possible blocking of the messenger (app in Russia) shouldn’t be ruled out.”
According to Bondarev, who chairs the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee, the exception that had been previously made for WhatsApp by Moscow has to be reviewed.
Russia should also follow the lead of China, which has its own WeChat app, and “think about a fully local messaging platform,” the senator urged. Such a move would be “reasonable, timely and promising,” he added.
Bondarev suggested that for now Russians should look for alternatives to WhatsApp such as Yandex, Messenger, and Telegram, which he described as apps that are “friendly to the Russian information space.”
The Senator’s comments were echoed by a senior member of the Committee on Information Policy in the lower house, the State Duma, Anton Gorelkin, who also said that if WhatsApp “begins to expand its functionality towards mass dissemination of information, the official position regarding its activities in Russia may be revised.”
In its blog post, WhatsApp described the Channels update as “a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls” to their followers. The platform has invited celebrities, sports teams, artists, creators, and “thought leaders” to take advantage of the new feature.
The Institute for the Study of War reported in its assessment of Russia’s offensive campaign in Ukraine:
Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Head Viktor Bondarev, State Duma Committee on Information Policy Head Alexander Khinshtein, and State Duma Deputy Anton Gorelkin said that Russia should consider blocking WhatsApp in Russia if WhatsApp launches Russian language channels.
Russian state media censor Roskomnadzor reported that Russia could block WhatsApp if it disseminates prohibited information.
Russian authorities are likely attempting to funnel the Russian information space onto a limited number of closely monitored or controlled social media platforms.
