Russian telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked the Viber encrypted messaging app, utilized by tons of of thousands and thousands worldwide, for violating the nation’s laws.
“Access to the Viber service is restricted due to the violation of the requirements of Russian legislation for organizers of information dissemination,” Russia’s web regulator stated in a press assertion.
“Compliance with the requirements is necessary to prevent threats of using the messenger for terrorist and extremist purposes, recruiting citizens to commit them, selling drugs, as well as in connection with the posting of illegal information.”
Viber can be utilized on each desktop and cell platforms. As of this month, Viber for Android has been downloaded over 1 billion instances from Google Play Retailer, whereas its iOS counterpart has over 744,000 rankings on Apple’s App Retailer.
This comes after a Moscow court docket ordered Viber to pay a 1 million robles high-quality in June 2023 for failing to take away what Russia described as unlawful content material, together with data on Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
​In March 2023, Russia banned authorities and state companies from utilizing a number of overseas non-public messaging purposes, together with Discord, Microsoft Group, Telegram, Threema, Viber, WhatsApp, and WeChat.
In August of this 12 months, Roskomnadzor additionally restricted entry to the Sign encrypted messaging service for violating Russian anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws.
A number of digital non-public community (VPN) apps have been additionally banned in three waves: one in January 2020, one in June 2021, and the newest in December 2021.
Apple was additionally pressured to take away 25 VPN apps (together with NordVPN, Proton VPN, Crimson Protect VPN, Planet VPN, Hidemy.Identify VPN, Le VPN, and PIA VPN) from the Russian App Retailer in August 2024 on the request of Roskomnadzor as a result of they have been used to entry “illegal content.”
A Viber spokesperson was not instantly accessible for remark when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier right this moment.
