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Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced on Dec. 13 that it had blocked access to the Viber messaging app. The move is part of a broader crackdown on social media platforms by Russian authorities. According to Roskomnadzor, the ban was imposed due to alleged violations of regulations aimed at combating terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking.Viber had a significant presence in Russia, with approximately 26% of the Russian population aged 12 and older using the app as of October 2023. About 14% of users accessed it daily, according to reports by state-owned TASS news agency. In 2023, Viber was fined one million rubles (approximately $11,880) for failing to remove content deemed “false” regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Additionally, Russian authorities restricted access to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook in 2022, shortly after the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Following these actions, Russia also imposed a complete ban on Facebook and Instagram in March 2022. As of December 2024, Viber has faced fines totaling over 1.8 million rubles (around $17,402) for violations of national legislation. Viber, owned by Japanese multinational Rakuten, was acquired by the company for $900 million in February 2014. Russia blocks Signal messaging app, reportedly plans to block WhatsAppEarlier, Signal users in Russia complained about problems with the messaging app. It no longer opens without a VPN or other bypass tools enabled, the Russian English-language newspaper Moscow Times reported.
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