WhatsApp is on the verge of being banned in Russia. It is dangerous and needs to be left out of the country.
WhatsApp should get ready to exit the Russian market, according to a lawmaker who oversees the country's IT industry. The Meta-owned messaging app is expected to be added to a list of prohibited software, the lawmaker warned on Friday.
In an effort to lessen its dependency on apps like Telegram and WhatsApp, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month that permits the creation of a state-sponsored messaging app that is integrated with government services.
In a statement on Telegram, Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the lower house of parliament's IT committee, stated that if WhatsApp, which is used daily by 68% of Russians, is shut down, the state-backed Max app may increase its market share.
Gorelkin stated, "It's time for WhatsApp to get ready to exit the Russian market," pointing out that Meta is regarded as an extremist group in Russia.
Since Moscow dispatched tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in 2022, the company's social media accounts, Facebook and Instagram, have been blocked in Russia.
The fate of WhatsApp in Russia was predestined, according to Anton Nemkin, a member of the parliament's information technology committee.
According to the TASS news agency, Nemkin stated, "The existence of such a service in the Russian digital space is, in fact, a legal violation of national security."
When asked if WhatsApp could leave Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded that all services have to abide by Russian law.
Russia has long promoted its own services in an effort to achieve what it refers to as digital sovereignty. Since some Western companies are leaving the Russian market after 2022, it has become more urgent to replace foreign technology platforms.