Sawt Falasteen - Russia cracks down on WhatsApp as it pushes state-backed rival

Moscow has for months been trying to shift Russian users onto Max, a domestic messaging service that lacks end-to-end encryption and that activists have called a potential tool for surveillance.

"As for the blocking of WhatsApp... such a decision was indeed made and implemented," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said the decision was due to WhatsApp's "reluctance to comply with the norms and letter of Russian law".

"Max is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger. And it is an alternative available on the market for citizens," he said.

WhatsApp, owned by US social media giant Meta, said Wednesday that it believed Russia was attempting to fully block the service in a bid to force users onto Max.

"We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected," it said.

Critics and rights campaigners say the restrictions are a transparent attempt by the Kremlin to ramp up control and surveillance over internet use in Russia.

They also say it will make it harder for Russians to communicate abroad.

But Vilgelm, a 32-year-old engineer from Moscow, told AFP he believed the move would not isolate Russia.

"Given Russia's weight in international affairs and trade, it is unlikely we would get a North Korea situation, where everything is completely blocked," he told AFP.

Still, he finds it problematic that the authorities are "actively" promoting Max so aggressively.

"It all looks a bit too tempting," said Vilgelm, who, like most people AFP spoke to, only gave his first name.

- 'Carrier pigeons' -

The government directed manufacturers to include Max on all new phones and tablets starting last September, and it claimed 75 million users by December.

Released by Russian social media giant VK last year, it has been touted as a "super app" similar to China's WeChat or Alipay, capable of doing everything from accessing government services to ordering a pizza.

Critics say the weak encryption, where messages are not scrambled between devices, means communications could be easily intercepted and read.

Some Russians told AFP they were forced to download it by their employers.

Many schools, which use chat apps to communicate with parents, have also switched to Max.

"In late December, we received a message from my daughter's homeroom teacher telling us that WhatsApp no longer worked at all," said one Muscovite, who refused to give her name.

"All communication related to the children's school activities would be conducted via the Max app," she added.

Russia's internet watchdog said Tuesday it would also slap "phased restrictions" on another popular messaging platform, Telegram, which it also accused of not complying with local legislation.

For Natalia Nikolaeva, a 23-year-old painter, it is especially regrettable that the bans will complicate communication with older people.

"At first, we've tried to use VPNs but it no longer works. Thus, of course, we've lost some connections, because some generations simply can't switch to Telegram or other social networks," she said.

Both WhatsApp and Telegram appeared to still be available via VPN connections in Russia on Thursday. And some users said they were still using the services as before without any workarounds.

Ekaterina, a 47-year-old actress, said he hopes the decision will be overturned.

"This is wrong," she told AFP.

"We tried to log in yesterday, and it seems to be still working, but we hope that this decision will be reversed."

Vilgelm was nevertheless lining up other options, including a South Korean rival that has so far not fallen into Moscow's crosshairs.

"If need be, I'll use carrier pigeons," he quipped.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST