The popular Internet messenger Signal has been blocked in Russia.
The press service of Roskomnadzor (the Russian federal agency that carries out censorship functions in relation to the media and the Internet) stated that access via Signal “was restricted due to the violation of the requirements of Russian legislation, the implementation of which is necessary to prevent the use of the messenger for terrorist and extremist purposes.”
Signal is considered one of the most secure messengers, which is why it is actively used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces military, in particular.
This messenger uses end-to-end encryption for calls, messaging and file sharing, which is designed to protect them from interception by mobile operators and intelligence agencies.
According to Russian media, Russians today, August 9, began complaining about interruptions in Signal’s operation – the messenger stopped opening without a VPN or enabling blocking bypass mode.
Let us recall that in recent days, Russia has also been experiencing problems with access to the YouTube video hosting service. The media reported that the Russian authorities have decided to significantly slow down YouTube, which will make using the service uncomfortable in Russia.
Russian media also report that Roskomnadzor has requested data from Russian telecom operators on the addresses where Google servers are located – it is believed that this information will be used to more effectively block YouTube traffic in Russia.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.