Russia Is Cracking Down on End-to-End Encrypted Calls

Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases, the digital development ministry said on Wednesday.

Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with critics saying that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country’s internet space.