{"id":64421,"date":"2026-02-11T19:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T00:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bnonews.com\/?p=64421"},"modified":"2026-02-11T19:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T00:57:09","slug":"russia-removes-whatsapp-from-internet-regulator-registry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bnonews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/russia-removes-whatsapp-from-internet-regulator-registry\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia removes WhatsApp from internet regulator registry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian authorities have removed Meta-owned WhatsApp from an online registry maintained by the country\u2019s internet regulator, according to Reuters, citing the Financial Times. The decision comes as Russian authorities are promoting a state-backed messaging app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reuters reported<\/a> Wednesday that WhatsApp, which until recently had at least 100 million users in the country, was taken off the equivalent of an online directory run by the regulator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday the Russian government has attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive users to a state-owned surveillance app,\u201d WhatsApp said in a statement to the Financial Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian authorities are promoting a state-backed messaging app called MAX. Critics say the platform could be used to track users, while state media have rejected those claims, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Russia was restricting access to Telegram \u201cin an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia has previously restricted or blocked several foreign social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Russian authorities have removed Meta-owned WhatsApp from an online registry maintained by the country\u2019s internet regulator, according to Reuters, citing the Financial Times. The decision comes as Russian authorities are promoting a state-backed messaging app. Reuters reported Wednesday that WhatsApp, which until recently had at least 100 million users in the country, was taken off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":64426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2530,3196,105,2598,593],"class_list":["post-64421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-censorship","tag-meta","tag-russia","tag-telegram","tag-whatsapp"],"yoast_head":"\nRussia removes WhatsApp from internet regulator registry - BNO News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bnonews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/russia-removes-whatsapp-from-internet-regulator-registry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russia removes WhatsApp from internet regulator registry - BNO News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Russian authorities have removed Meta-owned WhatsApp from an online registry maintained by the country\u2019s internet regulator, according to Reuters, citing the Financial Times. 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