Putin signs law for state-controlled messaging app to replace WhatsApp, Telegram in Russia
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed into law a measure for development of a government-backed messaging application which will be designed to integrate with official state services.
Under Russia’s digital strategy, the country is putting efforts to build and mandate home-grown alternatives to widely used apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram following the war in Ukraine in 2022, which had led to the withdrawal or curtailing of services by many Western technology firms.
While supporters of the new platform argue it will offer features beyond those available in current messaging apps, particularly through its integration with state administrative functions, digital rights advocates have voiced concern that government oversight of the app could endanger user privacy and undermine free expression.
Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, a Russian digital rights organisation, warned earlier this month that authorities may deliberately throttle the speed of foreign messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram to compel users to migrate to the new government-run platform.
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Netherlands PM Dick Schoof visits Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): The Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof arrived here on Thursday on an official visit, sources said.
Schoof, accompanied by a delegation, landed at Kempegowda International Airport, where he was received by Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta, who welcomed him with a bouquet, officials added.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh and other senior officials were also present.
According to a statement, the Netherlands Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the Philips Innovation Campus in R T Nagar, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) Control Centre on Infantry Road, and the Indian Institute of Science on Friday.
He will also attend a luncheon with industrialists before departing the city by a special aircraft, the statement said.
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