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Russia Restricts WhatsApp And Telegram Voice Calls
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Russia announced on Wednesday that voice calls on the messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp will be restricted. The government accuses the platforms of failing to provide law enforcement with information related to fraud and terrorism.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Russia announced restrictions on voice calls on Telegram and WhatsApp.
- The Russian regulator said the tech companies fail to comply with Russian legislation by not providing users’ data to law enforcement.
- WhatsApp said it will not remove its end-to-end encryption principle.
According to Al Jazeera , Russia’s media and internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the measure to restrict phone calls was necessary to combat crime.
“According to law enforcement agencies and numerous appeals from citizens, foreign messengers Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used to deceive and extort money, and to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities,” said Roskomnadzor in a statement.
The Russian media research firm Mediascope estimates that the restrictions could affect about 96 million monthly WhatsApp users and 89 million Telegram users.
Roskomnadzor explained that it is requiring these platforms to comply with Russian legislation and provide the requested information whenever authorities consider it necessary.
According to Reuters , WhatsApp said that the Russian government wants the company to remove the end-to-end encryption, something the tech giant considers non-negotiable.
“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,” said WhatsApp to Reuters in a statement. “We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia.”
Telegram—Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov—said it has been using moderators and AI tools to monitor malicious content and tackle unauthorized operations. “Telegram actively combats harmful use of its platform, including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud,” said the company in a statement.
Russian authorities said that only voice calls were restricted, but users have reported that video calls have been impacted, too.
The country has also been in multiple disputes with other tech companies. Earlier this year, the government fined Google over YouTube content , and last year it shut down AdSense accounts .
Image by David Matos, from Unsplash
OpenAI To Back $850M Brain-Computer Startup Competing With Musk’s Neuralink
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, plans to support a new company competing against Elon Musk’s Neuralink.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Sam Altman will co-found Neuralink rival Merge Labs.
- Merge Labs seeks $850 million valuation.
- Much funding expected from OpenAI’s ventures team.
The new company, Merge Labs, aims to connect human brains with computers and is seeking an $850 million valuation, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Merge Labs joins several other companies seeking to use AI breakthroughs to pursue more advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), a goal Musk has long pursued with Neuralink.
Three people familiar with the plans said to the FT that Altman will co-found the company alongside Alex Blania, CEO of the eyeball-scanning digital ID project World. Although Altman will help launch Merge Labs, he will not have a day-to-day role or invest his own money.
Back in 2017, Altman speculated on his blog that humans may “merge” with machines as soon as 2025. In that same post, he predicted that “superhuman AI is going to happen, genetic enhancement is going to happen, and brain-machine interfaces are going to happen.”
The FT notes that Neuralink is currently valued at $9 billion after securing $650 million from investors such as Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital. In 2018, Musk left OpenAI’s board over disagreements with Altman about the company’s direction.
Since then, Musk has filed multiple lawsuits against OpenAI for allegedly deviating from its non-profit purpose, while also launching his own AI company, xAI, in 2023, as noted by FT.
If Merge Labs moves forward, it could mark the next chapter in the high-stakes feud between Musk and Altman, with the battle now extending directly into the human brain. The FT reports that OpenAI declined to comment on the new project.
