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The Signal app used to send encrypted messages has been blocked by Roskomnadzor.
Russia’s mass media control agency (Roskomnadzor) has blocked access to the country’s encrypted messaging app Signal. He justified this by citing violations of anti-terrorist legislation. TASR informed of this according to a report by Reuters.
“Guarding against terrorists and extremists”
“Access to the Signal messaging app was blocked due to violations of the requirements of Russian legislation, the implementation of which is necessary to prevent the app from being used for terrorist and extremist purposes,” Interfax news agency quoted Roskomnadzor as saying.
Around a million Russians use the app, and hundreds of users have previously reported problems with its operation. The internet service monitoring website noted these reports, mostly from users in Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, the app can still be run through a virtual private network (VPN) or using anti-blocking tools.
Three people from Moscow and the Krasnodar region told Reuters that it was also impossible to register a new account on the app without a VPN. When entering a mobile phone number, the service displayed a “server error” message.
YouTube’s big problem
Signal is considered one of the safest tools for sending text and voice messages, videos, and other files. It uses end-to-end encryption when sending them to protect them from being tracked by mobile operators and secret agencies. It also stores minimal user data compared to other services.
Recently, Russian authorities have begun limiting the speed of downloading videos on the YouTube platform. According to data from Russian IT company Brand Analytics, on August 8, the platform stopped being available to Russian computer and mobile device users.
Alexander Chinštejn, a member of the Russian State Duma, announced restrictions on YouTube at the end of July. He claimed that this was not aimed at Russian users, but at the YouTube operator. According to him, he was implementing an anti-Russian policy, deleting the accounts of Russian public officials who had different views from those prevailing in the West. Chinštejn threatened that if the platform did not change its policy and start complying with Russian laws, “nothing good is waiting for it here”.
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