Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor (RKN), has banned Viber, one of the country’s most widely used messaging apps, for alleged violations of national laws. Used daily by 17 million Russians, the app stands accused of hosting illegal content and enabling scams.
In a statement on Friday, RKN confirmed the restriction, citing breaches of anti-terrorism laws. The agency alleged that Viber facilitated criminal activities, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and the spread of prohibited information, citing Telecom Daily reports RT.
RT on Saturday published that Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma's information policy committee, told TASS news agency that Viber’s parent company failed to pay 1.8 million rubles ($17,230) in fines and ignored legal obligations to remove unlawful content, including posts about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He also accused the platform of being a haven for scammers targeting elderly users and warned that foreign intelligence agencies could exploit the app for espionage.
Elina Sidorenko, head of the online safety group Bely Internet and a member of the presidential Human Rights Council, highlighted the financial toll on Russians, stating that Viber-related scams had caused losses exceeding 5 billion rubles ($47.8 million). She criticized the app for failing to cooperate with authorities and neglecting user protection.
The ban is part of Moscow's broader effort to tighten control over digital platforms. Russian authorities have repeatedly cited violations such as the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and extremist content as grounds for action. In 2022, Russia blocked access to X (formerly Twitter) and classified Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, as an “extremist organization.”
Founded in 2010 by Russian-born Igor Magazinnik and Israeli-American Talmon Marco, Viber has been owned by Japanese tech giant Rakuten since 2014.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
