Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Davankov asked Roskomnadzor not to block WhatsApp

Blocking the WhatsApp messenger (owned by Meta – recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) could lead to a negative reaction from Russian society. This was stated by Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov in his address to the head of Roskomnadzor Andrei Lipov; Vedomosti has a copy.

“WhatsApp remains the most popular messenger among Russian citizens. According to sociological surveys, 70% of Russian citizens use WhatsApp as of March 2023. According to expert estimates, the WhatsApp audience in Russia is more than 73 million people,” notes Davankov.

Davankov notes that blocking the social network “could lead to a negative reaction from the majority of Russian citizens.” In addition, according to the vice speaker, this may also affect representatives of small and medium-sized businesses who use the messenger as a means of communicating with clients.

“At the same time, Meta vice-president Nick Clegg publicly stated in March 2022 that Meta stands for the inadmissibility of Russophobia and calls for violence against Russian citizens, thereby identifying the opportunity for compromise cooperation,” the deputy emphasized.

The vice-speaker proposed to reach this compromise with the company and agree on the work of Russian-language channels on the social network. In particular, to develop a procedure for restrictions for “specific channels that violated Russian legislation, instead of restricting access to the entire messenger.”

On September 13, WhatsApp announced the global launch of the Channels feature in over 150 countries. After this, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Anton Gorelkin allowed a review of the decision on the operation of WhatsApp in Russia if the messenger begins to “expand its functionality towards mass dissemination of information.”

The RKN clarified that the service can block the social network if it refuses to delete “unfriendly channels.” It was emphasized that the legal requirements apply to all companies that operate in the country and focus on Russian users.

Currently, other Meta social networks – Instagram and Facebook – are blocked in Russia. The Prosecutor General’s Office demanded that access be limited after a statement by Meta Platforms spokesman Andy Stone that the company had temporarily lifted the ban on calls for violence against the Russian military on Facebook and Instagram.