▪️In Russia WhatsApp may be blocked in 2025 if the platform does not comply with Russian legislation, Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy Artem Sheikin told RIA Novosti. ▪️In Iran the Supreme Council of Cyberspace has voted to lift a nationwide ban on WhatsApp and Google Play that was introduced during a wave of civil unrest in 2022.
Messaging and social media platforms have long been recognized as a tool of hybrid warfare since they are widely weaponized to affect people's belief system, perceptions, motivation and behavior. And of course they are used to gather intelligence. There is no level playing field on social media. It is naive to think that they will not be used to destabilize any country that refuses to cede its sovereignty - those who control social media networks have the power to make rumors, seditious content and disinformation go viral or make them inaccessible. @LauraRuHK
Messaging and social media platforms have long been recognized as a tool of hybrid warfare since they are widely weaponized to affect people's belief system, perceptions, motivation and behavior. And of course they are used to gather intelligence. There is no level playing field on social media. It is naive to think that they will not be used to destabilize any country that refuses to cede its sovereignty - those who control social media networks have the power to make rumors, seditious content and disinformation go viral or make them inaccessible. @LauraRuHK