Signal messaging app blocked in Russia and Venezuela: Here's why
What's the story
Signal, a globally recognized encrypted messaging application, has been blocked in both Russia and Venezuela. This action is part of a larger strategy to suppress internal dissent within these nations. The app is widely used for its encryption capabilities, often serving as a tool to bypass government censorship. Signal has advised users affected by these restrictions to activate its censorship circumvention feature.
Political tension
Venezuela's ban follows disputed election
The prohibition of Signal in Venezuela comes after a disputed presidential election last month. The contentious results have ignited protests and led to several arrests, as President Nicolas Maduro strives to maintain his position. Despite this, the US has acknowledged opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the victor. Internet monitoring service NetBlocks reported that Signal had become "unreachable on multiple internet providers" in Venezuela.
Legal dispute
Russia accuses Signal of violating laws
In Russia, the country's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has accused Signal of breaching Russian legislation. This has resulted in people being unable to register a new Signal account without using a VPN. NetBlocks confirmed that Russia has "restricted Signal messaging app backends on most internet providers."
Separate issue
YouTube outage in Russia
In a separate development, users in Russia have reported a widespread YouTube outage. YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward confirmed these reports, but clarified that it was not due to any technical issues on their side or any action taken by them. This indicates that the YouTube outage is unrelated to the blocking of Signal in the country.