The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has restricted access to the messaging app Viber within Russia, according to an official statement from the agency.
Roskomnadzor stated that the restriction was imposed due to alleged violations of local laws by "information distribution organizers" operating on the platform.
"Access to the Viber service has been restricted due to non-compliance with Russian legal requirements for information distribution organizers. These measures are necessary to prevent the use of the messenger for terrorist and extremist purposes, the recruitment of citizens, drug trafficking, and the dissemination of illegal content," Roskomnadzor explained.
According to World Population Review, Viber has over 1 billion users in more than 190 countries, with Ukraine having the highest usage. In Russia, approximately 28 million people use the app.
Previously, Russia restricted access to the popular messaging platform Discord, citing violations of Russian law.
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