Moscow, Russia – E be like say WhatsApp fit soon join some long list of things wey don enter Russia’s bad book. Di Russian state communications watchdog, wey dem dey call Roskomnadzor, don threaten to block di messaging app completely if dem no fall in line with their laws. Wetin e mean? Abeg, make una no forget say dem don dey accuse WhatsApp and other foreign apps of not sharing info wey fit help dem catch criminal matter.
Since August, dem don dey run some test calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, but di authorities no dey satisfied. Dem don talk say WhatsApp dey play hard to get, no gree show dem di kind info wey fit help for fraud and terrorism cases. Na wetin Roskomnadzor come back on Friday come ak shout louder like dem dey run for Olympic—if WhatsApp no comply, dem go block am totally! (Na wah, WhatsApp go really dey scatter like dis?)
WhatsApp no just dey sit down fold hand o. Dem don accuse di Russian government of trying to block millions of people from using secure communication. Na wetin we call ‘paranoia’—if you no fit trust your citizens, who you go trust? Di government still dey push another app wey dem create by demself called MAX, but critics dey talk say na spy app wey fit track users. Na dem come dey dismiss am like say na lie (Somebody sabi this kind drama for Naija).
As if dis one no enough, di issues no stop for WhatsApp matter alone. Di internet shutdown wey don dey affect many regions for Russia don take plenty ground. Many people dey complain say dem no fit use credit cards for transport or even check their sick children blood glucose level during dis outages. Na wah! Dem say na to stop drones from Ukraine, but e dey affect normal people wey no even get wahala with di whole matter.
According to Na Svyazi, one activist group wey dey monitor dis shutdowns, 57 regions report say their phone links don dey fail daily. Di spokesperson come talk say na for di greater good, say di shutdowns dey justified and necessary. But analysts dey wonder if dis strategy dey even work at all, as di intensity of di drone attacks no don show any sign of reducing (Maybe dem no check dem strategies well before dis wahala). Di situation just dey vex people, as only a few government-approved websites dey accessible when di net dey waka in black and white.
Na so di matter be for Russia, as WhatsApp dey face serious threat while people dey waka for dark. E go better if di whole thing fit settle this matter before e turn full drama! Na everyone go gather round palm wine dey gist about how dis gbasgbos started as WhatsApp wahala, meanwhile Nigerians go just dey laugh sidon look—because we don pass that level!
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