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Meta’s WhatsApp accuses Russia of blocking its service to force users to state ‘super-app’

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Reuters,BloombergFebruary 12, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Meta’s WhatsApp accuses Russia of blocking its service to force users to state ‘super-app’
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AI Summary

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WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has accused Russian authorities of attempting to fully block its service within Russia. The company alleges this is an effort to force over 100 million Russian users to switch to a state-owned "super-app," which WhatsApp claims is used for surveillance. This accusation follows reports that Russia removed technical internet records for platforms like WhatsApp, hindering access without a VPN. Russia had previously restricted WhatsApp's video and voice calls in August. A Kremlin spokesman indicated that dialogue and compliance with Russian law could potentially lead to an agreement with Meta. WhatsApp maintains it is doing everything possible to keep its users connected.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Facebook 30% YouTube 30% TASS 40% United States 40% Dmitry Peskov 60% Meta Platforms ×280% WhatsApp ×490% Russia ×595%

Keywords

russia blocks whatsapp 80% surveillance app 70% super-app 60% private communication 50% vpn blocking 50% russia internet records 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source
South China Morning Post
Political Lean
Center-Right (0.50)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Russia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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russia blocks whatsappsurveillance appsuper-appprivate communicationvpn blockingrussia internet records
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