In an effort to wean Russia off Western technology, a Russian lawmaker encouraged state organisations on Wednesday to cease using WhatsApp messenger. The industry ministry also attempted to promote domestically manufactured software.
After being found guilty of “extremist behaviour” in Russia in March, WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms Inc. (META.O) was later added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists.” The defence attorney for Meta in court said that Meta was opposed to xenophobia and was not engaging in extremist behaviour.
In March, Russia suspended Meta’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram in protest at restrictions on Russian media and some posts that users in Ukraine were allowed to make.
WhatsApp, which is widely used in Russia, has always been accessible, but Anton Gorelkin, the deputy head of the committee on information policy in the Russian parliament, announced on Wednesday that he would be removing the app personally and that a wider ban should be instituted.
Gorelkin posted on Telegram, a popular alternative messenger in Russia, “I think it is important to implement a full ban on WhatsApp use for official purposes by the Russian state and municipal personnel.”
The most important thing is that it does not belong to a corporation that openly participates in the information war against our country and is listed on the list of terrorist and extremist organisations, regardless of whether it is a Russian alternative or from Dubai.
The market vacated by foreign telecoms manufacturers, according to Vasily Shpak, deputy minister of industry and trade, should be replaced by indigenous companies.
“There will be no going back,” Shpak reportedly said, adding that businesses leaving the nation must not be permitted to reoccupy the same markets they previously did.
Shpak urged for gadgets with Russian software to serve as the “foundation of Russia’s technological independence,” saying “our producers should fill this gap.”
