Russian Officials Impose Ban on Walkie-Talkie Communication App Zello

Joseph Henry, Tech Times 08 March 2022, 01:03 am

The scuffle between Russia and Ukraine has not yet stopped. As the issue continues to escalate, the former persists to ban some applications and restrict the users from using them.

Apparently, the latest app to be added to the blocklist is Zello, a popular walkie-talkie communication app.

Roskomnadzor, a Russian telecom regulator has already announced its decision to ban it in the country following several claims that it is spreading fake information about the Ukraine issue.

Russia's Previous Issue With Zello

Russian Officials Impose Ban on Walkie-Talkie Communication App Zello

(Photo : Pradamas Gifarry from Unsplash)
Russia has banned the walkie-talkie app Zello, according to the latest report.

Before the official ban that took place in 2022, Russia and Zello were already not on good terms in the past years.

According to a report by Engadget, the country has already blocked the app in 2017 because of its failure to comply with a law which states information about user data storage.

In defense, the walkie-talkie app said that it's already finding a solution for the problem. At that time, some users protested that the Zello app was useful despite being inclined to a "work-oriented" approach.

For instance, the app has become a big help for the residents in Canada. Some people who are speaking about the vaccine mandate have been relying on Zello with regards to organizing a protest.

The latest report about the app was not surprising for Russia. Amid its controversy with Ukraine, several applications have been barred from being used inside the country, as well including Facebook and Twitter.

Last month, Twitter reportedly paused its ad services in Russia and Ukraine. The temporary assignment would mean not "interfering" with the current issue in line with the critical public safety information.

Zello Faces Ban on Russia

In the latest report, ZDNET wrote in its article that Roskomnadzor came up with the decision of banning Zello because of one reason: spreading "false information" regarding its deal with Ukraine.

To add, the telecom company officially spoke about this on March 4. It highlighted that the walkie-talkie app should stop sending messages containing fake information to individuals.

Upon the request, the Russian regulator said that the company did not comply with the requirements bounded by the law.

"Due to the failure of the administration of Zello to comply with the requirements of Roskomnadzor, access to this application on the territory of the Russian Federation will be limited within 24 hours," Roskomnadzor said in a statement.

Aside from blocking Zello, the federal executive agency also made the bold move of hindering Facebook to gain access in the country. The allegations tackled discriminating Russian state-sponsored media and the like.

With that, the social media users staying in the country might now have some difficulty in accessing the platforms as a way to learn more information about the crisis.

Earlier this week, Russia also cut ties on the external internet with global firms, per Tech Times. Apparently, this means that they will now be required to adopt a ".ru" domain" starting on Friday, March 11.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry