Suche
Mein Konto
Russia creates its own messenger: Communicate securely despite censorship!
Russia is planning its own messenger for secure communication between citizens and authorities in response to Western tensions.
Russia creates its own messenger: Communicate securely despite censorship!
The Russian parliament, the State Duma, has passed a law to create its own messenger. With this measure, the government aims to enable secure virtual communication between citizens and state and city authorities. This initiative comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions with the West, as Russia has further tightened control and censorship over the Internet since the start of the Ukraine war, resulting in the blocking or significant restrictions of Western and independent content providers, such as Bietigheimer Newspaper reported.
The planned messenger should offer a variety of functions. This includes the integration of various government services, which allows, for example, age to be confirmed at supermarket checkouts. In addition, it will be possible to check into hotels without paper documents. The messenger should also contain electronic signatures and ID functions as well as integrate online educational offerings, as News in Five notes.
Government control and development
The government also stated that it will decide who develops the software for this messenger. There is speculation that the software could be provided by the social network VK, which operates under state-affiliated corporations. This measure shows the Russian government's efforts to create its own digital infrastructure that can be more closely controlled.
When it comes to international communication platforms, Russian officials express concerns about their use. Services like Whatsapp, Facebook or Signal are increasingly perceived as unsafe, which underlines the need for a national messenger. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin unusually uses a corded telephone, which illustrates the skepticism towards modern communication technology.
Overall, the introduction of Russia's own messenger not only shows the desire for control over digital communication streams, but also increased isolation in the international context. The developments could have far-reaching effects on the digital communications landscape in Russia and further restrict freedom of expression.