The Russian Digital Development Ministry and Moscow's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, are discussing the possibility of introducing restrictions on calls made via messenger apps, Russian state media Kommersant reported on Dec. 24, citing its undisclosed sources.
The news comes as Russia continues to block foreign social networks and messenger apps, referring to companies' alleged violations of Russian law.
The possible blocking of calls is being justified by authorities as a crackdown on anti-fraud calls. According to the Russian telecommunications operator Megafon, the share of fraudulent calls in messenger apps is nearly 40%.
About 70% of fraudulent calls come from abroad, the Center for Countering Cyber Fraud of the Russian company Informzaschita (Informprotection) claimed.
According to Kommersant, Russian authorities are considering two scenarios — blocking voice traffic only from abroad, and banning all voice calls in messenger apps.
The final decision has not yet been made, Kommersant reported. Meanwhile, the Russian Digital Development Ministry told the media outlet that it is not yet developing regulations limiting voice traffic in messenger apps.
The Russian government is also considering blocking WhatsApp, an app owned by Meta, a company labeled as an "extremist organization" in Russia.
To avoid blocking, WhatsApp must agree to provide Russian law enforcement agencies with access to users' personal information upon request. Senator Artem Sheykin said earlier that refusing to do so is a violation of Russian law.
In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced the blocking Viber and Signal apps.
Roskomnadzor also began throttling YouTube speeds in July, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional.
Katie Marie Davies
