On June 10, the Russian State Duma approved a bill to develop a state messenger that would be integrated with government services. The Kremlin claims that the initiative aims to reduce dependence on foreign platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram.
On June 10, the Russian State Duma approved a bill to develop a state messenger that would be integrated with government services. The Kremlin claims that the initiative aims to reduce dependence on foreign platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram.
As Reuters reports, the bill still needs to be considered by the Federation Council and signed by Vladimir Putin.
Reuters reports that the author of the document is Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, who noted that the new messenger will allow for messaging, making calls, and will also have features that competitors do not have.
The government is also reportedly counting on support from the state-owned company VK, which develops the social network VKontakte, the video service VK Video — an analogue of Youtube — and other digital products.
Reuters adds that Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Russian organization «Society for the Protection of the Internet,» believes that the authorities may artificially slow down WhatsApp and Telegram to stimulate the use of the new state messenger. According to him, such an initiative carries risks for the digital rights and freedoms of users.
