A Russian state-backed messenger application called Max, a rival to WhatsApp that critics say could be used to track users, must be pre-installed on all mobile phones and tablets bought in the country starting next month, the Russian government said on Thursday.
The decision to promote Max comes as Moscow, locked in a standoff with the west over Ukraine, is seeking greater control over the internet. The Kremlin said in a statement that Max, which will be integrated with government services, would be on a list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all “gadgets”, including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia from 1 September.
great, what will HBO have to change its name to now?
I wonder which one of our wonderful democratic leader will propose a similar idea making it mandatory to install the app and to allow it to scan absolutely everything that’s on our phone, because, you know, ‘think about the children’ and they need make sure they are able to capture the armies of perverts roaming our streets.
