Russian authorities have blocked the services of the Viber app because the operator allegedly violates the law, Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor said on Friday.
The regulator said the app, owned by Japanese multinational company Rakuten, was used for terrorist and extremist purposes, to sell drugs and spread disinformation.
Prosecutors were investigating Viber for spreading "information to destabilize the political and social order in Russia," state news agency TAS reported.
Viber did not comment on it.
Since 2018, operators of communication platforms in Russia must store users' private data such as calls, messages, photos and videos and provide them to intelligence services upon request.
Russian authorities have further tightened censorship in the country since the start of the war against Ukraine.
Viber was fined last year for allegedly discrediting the Russian armed forces by failing to delete information about the war as ordered by Vladimir Putin.
Russia has already blocked a number of popular messaging apps and social networks. Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram and Signal cannot be used in Russia without a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
Bonus video:
