iState: A Russian Government Messenger?

On June 10, the Russian State Duma took a significant step by approving the establishment of a multi-purpose “national messenger,” which is set to be pre-installed on all newly sold smart devices in the country. This initiative, slated to commence on September 1, will see smartphones and tablets equipped with a national messaging application that integrates a digital ID system.

Government Services and User Concerns

According to Sergei Boyarsky, the head of the State Duma IT Committee, the national app is designed to streamline access to government services, facilitate identity verification, enable contract signing, and support banking transactions. Additionally, it aims to consolidate educational services and communication into this single government-sanctioned platform.

Drawing inspiration from China’s WeChat, which offers a comprehensive suite of services including messaging, payments, and hotel bookings, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development is pursuing a similar model. However, the motivation behind this initiative raises concerns. WeChat has been criticized for its surveillance and censorship practices, and legal expert Sarkis Darbinyan warns that the Russian government may also store user messages and data, potentially sharing them with law enforcement agencies.

Choosing the Right Platform

As of now, the government has yet to finalize which application will serve as the national messenger. Russia has made several attempts in the past to develop a messaging platform akin to WhatsApp, which was created by Ukrainian-American developers. Notably, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has been labeled as “extremist” by the Russian state, complicating its status in the country. The frontrunner for the national app appears to be Max, a messaging platform developed by VKontakte that mirrors WeChat’s functionalities.

Darbinyan expresses skepticism regarding the potential for Max or any other national messenger to attract WhatsApp’s substantial user base of 97.4 million in Russia. He suggests that the app will likely be restricted to domestic use, limiting users’ ability to communicate with individuals outside the country. Furthermore, unlike other messaging services that offer end-to-end encryption, Darbinyan predicts that Max will utilize cryptography sanctioned by the FSB, Russia’s security agency. This arrangement would enable authorities to decode messages easily, undermining the platform’s capacity for facilitating free communication.

Future of Messaging in Russia

Despite these concerns, Boyarsky remains optimistic, asserting that “WhatsApp and Telegram will continue to function and thrive, provided they comply unconditionally with our laws.” He emphasized that these platforms can no longer disregard legal requirements simply because there has been no viable alternative until now.

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iState: A Russian Government Messenger?