Russia Blocks WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram Access | Social Media Today

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. As part of its continued effort to force citizens onto its government-owned messaging app, Russia has today blocked access to WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram in the nation, while YouTube access has also been impacted, as it seeks to implement more control over what Russians see in social and messaging apps. The move is the latest in a series of restrictions on foreign-owned platforms, which Russian authorities have deemed as “extremist” providers, with Telegram and Snapchat also forced out of the Russian market. As reported by The Financial Times: “Russian authorities removed [WhatsApp], which had at least 100 million users in the country until recently, from the equivalent of an online directory run by Roskomnadzor, the internet regulator, earlier on Wednesday. That step essentially erases WhatsApp from Russia’s internet, making it nearly impossible to access the service without elaborate workarounds.” FT also reported that Facebook and Instagram were also removed from the directory, which means that they’re now only accessible via VPNs in the nation. (Also worth noting that LinkedIn, X and TikTok were already restricted in Russia before these latest moves) Over the past year, Russian authorities have
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