Since Thursday, August 14, Russian authorities have blocked audio calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, extremely popular apps in the country, thus disrupting the daily lives of many Russians. No more calls between grandparents and grandchildren, no more video conferences between customers and suppliers, no more telephone conversations between soldiers and their families.
Officially, this partial block (written messages still work) was implemented to “combat commercial scams” and protect citizens from criminals and terrorists. In practice, it marks yet another step in the Russian state’s tightening grip on the internet. Seen as a possible prelude to creating a Chinese-style internet cut off from the world, this partial block is aimed at pushing Russians to use Max, the new 100% Russian messaging app developed by national tech giant VKontakte. More than 18 million users have registered with Max since its launch in March, according to the company.
Still in its testing phase, the app offers the same basic features as WhatsApp or Telegram – chatting, calling, sending voice messages and sharing images, all with a similar chat interface. However, it does not yet include some of the more advanced features, such as the highly popular ability to create broadcast channels as on Telegram.
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