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32 sats \ 2 replies \ @Tony 18 Aug \ on: Russia's latest war on freedom and apps alter_native

Can confirm. Posted this on Nostr last week:

Russia has begun blocking WhatsApp and Telegram calls — confirmed by several friends inside the country.

FYI: they’re now pushing a state‑built “MAX” messenger to fully control and censor communication. This thing is basically a Trojan with a government badge — demanding near‑root access, scraping contacts, messages, and data from other apps.

Starting this autumn, it comes pre‑installed on every new phone sold. Officials are being told to use it, and even school parent–teacher chats are being quietly forced onto it in multiple regions.

Welcome to the gulag, comrades — only this time, a century later, it’s gone digital.

nostr:nevent1qqs2ep3mg8ny8ffqw36h85fjwfq8ywtugn2ym40dkf0gjdcu7df59hczypl4c26wfzswnlk2vwjxky7dhqjgnaqzqwvdvz3qwz5k3j4grrt46qcyqqqqqqgpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqguwaehxw309a5xzan9dckhgmmw0yhryvtfv3jkzuewdaexwqgswaehxw309ahx7um5wgh8w6twv5f8zay0

One more thing to add regarding VPNs:

I left Russia quite a while ago, but my parents are there. After they started blocking calls, I asked my dad to download a VPN, but he couldn’t — Google Play link I shared was not accessible (blocked). Had to share the APK with him. At least Google phones have such an option.

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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @stack_harder OP 19 Aug

Good he was able to get a vpn at least. My in-laws over 50 are all tech illiterate with, unfortunately, no desire to learn.

Honestly, it's so disgusting to watch all this unfold, like things in 2012 were night and day different. Unlike China where it was always hardcore state censorship.

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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Tony 19 Aug

Here’s more info I stumbled upon today. This is sad to say the least.

The [Russian] Ministry of Education will begin implementing "Conversations about What's Important" in kindergartens starting September 1 in 22 regions at once, including Moscow.
The Minister of Education, Sergey Kravtsov, does not hide that the state's task is to subject children's brains to the influence of propaganda as early as possible, because "it is precisely at preschool age that a solid foundation of personality is laid," which the authorities want to influence.

https://svtv.org/news/2025-08-19/pravitielstvo-rieshilo-zapustit-razghovory-o/

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