On Wednesday, WhatsApp called out the Kremlin after the country reportedly started restricting access to voice calling for both WhatsApp and Telegram. The Russian government says cybercriminals are using the apps “to deceive and extort money.” The government also alleges that the apps are enlisting Russian citizens to carry out sabotage and terrorist activities amid the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine. However, Meta-owned WhatsApp says the Kremlin is actually trying to eavesdrop on users by pushing local Russian users to less secure platforms vulnerable to government surveillance. “WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said. #whatsapp #spy #russia #technews Like what you're reading? Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. 🏅