Russia Blocks Access to Signal App

MOSCOW — In a significant escalation of its information control measures, Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, announced on Friday that it has blocked access to the Signal messaging app. The agency cited Signal's alleged violation of Russian legislation aimed at preventing the use of messaging services for terrorist and extremist activities. Signal's end-to-end encryption has made it a target for the Russian government, which struggles to monitor communications on the platform. Since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on dissent and independent media. Numerous Russian-language media outlets critical of the Kremlin have been blocked, alongside major social media platforms such as Twitter, now rebranded as X, and Meta's Facebook and Instagram. This latest move against Signal is part of a broader strategy to limit access to information that contradicts the official narrative. In addition to the Signal ban, YouTube has recently experienced widespread outages, following a series of slowdowns over the past weeks. While Russian officials attribute these issues to Google's failure to upgrade its equipment in the country, many experts argue that the outages are likely a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin to restrict access to a platform that hosts opposition viewpoints. As the Russian government continues to tighten its grip on information, the implications for free speech and dissent in the country remain increasingly dire.