Categories: Technology

Signal Private Messenger Blocked in Russia by Roskomnadzor: Report

Russia’s state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said that Signal, an encrypted messaging app, had been blocked in the country for violating laws linked to anti-terrorist operations, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

“Access to the Signal messaging app is blocked in connection with violation of the requirements of Russian legislation which must be complied with to prevent the use of messaging apps for terrorist and extremist aims,” Interfax quoted the agency as saying.

Prior to Roskomnadzor’s announcement that it had taken action, hundreds of Signal users reported glitches with the messenger app, a secure communications tool used by up to a million Russians to encrypt messages and conversations.

Internet service monitoring sites showed more than 1,500 complaints about Signal, mostly from users in Moscow and St Petersburg. Users reported, however, that it was working normally when accessed via a VPN or used in the built-in censorship bypass mode.

“This indicates precisely a blocking of the messenger in Russia and not a technical problem on the Signal side,” Mikhail Klimarev, author of the Telegram channel “For Telecom”, told Reuters.

Signal did not reply to a request for comment.

It was also impossible to register a new account on Signal without a VPN, three people from Moscow and the Krasnodar region told Reuters. When entering a mobile number, the service displayed the message “Server Error”.

Klimarev said it was the first attempt to block Signal in Russia.

Russian authorities began to block access to Telegram, a widely used messaging app, in 2018. The action interrupted many third-party services, but had little effect on the availability of Telegram in Russia.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

News Today

Recent Posts

Kareena Kapoor’s Next Untitled Film With Meghna Gulzar Gets Prithviraj Sukumaran On Board

Kareena Kapoor is working with Raazi director Meghna Gulzar for her next film. The project,…

2 weeks ago

Purdue basketball freshman Daniel Jacobsen injured vs Northern Kentucky

2024-11-09 15:00:03 WEST LAFAYETTE -- Daniel Jacobsen's second game in Purdue basketball's starting lineup lasted…

2 weeks ago

Rashida Jones honors dad Quincy Jones with heartfelt tribute: ‘He was love’

2024-11-09 14:50:03 Rashida Jones is remembering her late father, famed music producer Quincy Jones, in…

2 weeks ago

Nosferatu Screening at Apollo Theatre Shows Student Interest in Experimental Cinema – The Oberlin Review

2024-11-09 14:40:03 A silent German expressionist film about vampires accompanied by Radiohead’s music — what…

2 weeks ago

What Are Adaptogens? Find Out How These 3 Herbs May Help You Tackle Stress Head-On

Let's face it - life can be downright stressful! With everything moving at breakneck speed,…

2 weeks ago

The new Mac Mini takes a small step towards upgradeable storage

Apple’s redesigned Mac Mini M4 has ditched the previous M2 machine’s SSD that was soldered…

2 weeks ago