Russia banned WhatsApp, can India also do the same? it’s complicated
Russia is banning WhatsApp in the country for flouting local laws. Can India, which has its own complaints against WhatsApp, also do the same? India as a sovereign country can do this but it is neither simple nor easy.
There are many countries where WhatsApp is not allowed. On Thursday the list got a new name: Russia. The country, which is at loggerheads with the US and at active war with Ukraine, banned WhatsApp on Thursday. As soon as the ban took effect, both the Kremlin and WhatsApp went to town with their own version of the story. No matter who has the truth in this war of words, there is one country which will be keeping a close eye on this fight. That country is India, because India has its own problems with WhatsApp.
If Russia is banning WhatsApp, and countries like Iran have done so before, can India also ban WhatsApp? The answer is complex. But before we find out, let’s hear it from Russia and WhatsApp.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement to the media: “Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian legislation, such a decision was actually taken and implemented.” Although there is some confusion as to what Russia means by “unwillingness”, it is reportedly about storing personal data locally. This is an issue on which the Indian government is also putting pressure on tech companies like Meta and Google.
Russia has also said that WhatsApp will be allowed again if it accepts the government’s demands. Peskov reportedly said, “It is a question of fulfilling the law. If Meta fulfills it and negotiates with the Russian authorities, we have the possibility of reaching an agreement.”
With no WhatsApp in the country, Russia is actively encouraging people to use Max, a messenger app that is backed by the Russian government. “Max is an accessible option, a growing messenger, a national messenger and it’s available on the market as an option for citizens,” Peskov said.
whatsapp russia story
Well, WhatsApp has a different story to tell. As soon as the ban went into effect, Meta went all out and accused Russia of censorship and attempting to surveil its citizens. “Today the Russian government attempted to block WhatsApp entirely in an effort to drive people toward the state-owned surveillance app,” the company said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, this issue again highlights the issue of technological sovereignty, the power of tech companies like WhatsApp and what the government can do to curb it. It also sheds light on the sporadic clashes that occur from time to time between the Indian government and WhatsApp. For example, just a week ago, WhatsApp faced a tough moment in the Supreme Court over its privacy policy. The Supreme Court seemed so angry with WhatsApp’s stance that it threatened to ban the app in the country.
So the question is, can India also ban WhatsApp? The answer is complex.
India is not Russia
If you’re looking for a binary answer, it’s quite simple: Yes, India can ban WhatsApp. After all, India is a sovereign country, just like Russia, and it can do what it wants when it comes to what it allows and what it doesn’t in the country. Example: TikTok. Banned in 2020, TikTok is still banned in the country and cannot be accessed.
But while Russia and India are both sovereign countries, their actual realities and the way they connect to the global system of which WhatsApp is a part are completely different. For countries like Russia and China, it is very easy to ban the service of a tech giant because of their dynamics with the US. In the case of India, the dynamics are very different. If India takes steps to ban any tech giant or its services, the US government will definitely become active and take whatever steps it can. For example, whenever the EU has made life difficult for tech giants in recent years, the Trump administration has threatened Europeans with consequences. India will also face similar threats if it takes action against WhatsApp.
Then there is the fact that when it comes to India, the tech giants themselves are more favorable because they do not want to lose access to such a huge and extremely important market. For example, all big tech companies already comply with Indian government demands to store data locally. They are also, because India is not at war, overt or covert, with the US, willing to share user data with the Indian government if demanded through legitimate processes. The same companies do not extend the same courtesy and cooperation toward the Russian or Chinese governments. Not at this time.
Finally, there is the scale of WhatsApp in India. Nearly 100 million people in Russia use WhatsApp while in India the number is over 800 million. More importantly, for better or worse, WhatsApp has become the lifeline of digital life in India. Businesses run on it, families also run on it. It is part of millions of communities and groups. A ban on WhatsApp will be disruptive not only for individual users but also for businesses. Given this reality, a ban on WhatsApp, although possible, would be a last resort on the part of the Indian government.
