Now WhatsApp and Telegram are going to be banned in this country! This new app will come for chatting, knowing full details.

Whatsapp Ban: If you use WhatsApp or Telegram and travel internationally, then this big news from Russia can be important for you.

Whatsapp Ban: If you use WhatsApp or Telegram and travel internationally, then this big news from Russia can be important for you. Russia is now preparing to ban these foreign messaging apps and in return is going to launch a new government app named Vlad's App. This app is named after President Vladimir Putin and its purpose is to create a strong communication system with 'digital sovereignty' within the country. It has been approved by the Russian Parliament (State Duma) and now the President's approval is pending.

What is Vlad's App?

Vlad's App will not be limited to just chatting. It will be fully connected to the country's digital services. With this app, users will be able to digitally sign agreements, make online payments, access educational portals, and avail of other government services, that too (according to the government) with their consent.

Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev says that launching such a domestic and secure alternative is a national priority for Russia today. He believes that other countries have overtaken Russia in this direction and now it is necessary to compensate for it.

Why will WhatsApp and Telegram be removed?

Russian MP Sergei Boyarsky has said that this step is being taken as an alternative to foreign, insecure apps. This could be the final and decisive step in Russia's digital self-reliance campaign, which has intensified in the last few years due to increased cyber tensions and sanctions from Western countries.

If the government completely blocks these foreign apps, then crores of Russian users will be forced to use Vlad's App. This could make Russia's digital environment more closed and controlled like China.

Russia's internet getting isolated from the world

Vlad's App will be for Russian citizens only. International users will not be allowed to use it. This will further isolate Russia's internet from the global network. While the government is calling this app safe and consent-based, digital rights advocates are considering it another means of state surveillance and censorship. Critics believe that this will increase monitoring of private conversations of citizens in Russia and limit access to independent ideas.