Overview

• Deputy Duma member Anton Gorelkin announced that WhatsApp will likely be added to a blacklist of software from “unfriendly countries,” barring its operation in Russia.
• President Putin instructed the government in June to draft further restrictions on programs developed in Western states to strengthen digital sovereignty.
• A law passed in June established a state-backed messenger app, tentatively named MAX, which is in beta testing and has reportedly grown from one million to two million users with plans for mandatory pre-installation on new smartphones.
• Lawmakers are set to enact a measure criminalizing the search for and access to content labeled “extremist,” imposing fines on users and widening the scope of internet censorship.
• WhatsApp continues to refuse Russian authorities’ requests for access to user correspondence, deepening its conflict with Kremlin demands.