Messaging app Signal banned in this country, accused of breaking anti-terrorism law

Signal app, about which big claims were made is very secure. Now it is accused of breaking the rules of the anti-terrorism operation. According to the Interfax news agency, Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Signal, an encrypted messaging app, has been blocked in the country for violating laws related to anti-terrorism operations.

Before the announcement of Roskomnadzor's action, hundreds of Signal users reported glitches with the messenger app. Signal is used by more than 1 million people in Russia. Internet service monitoring sites showed more than 1,500 complaints about Signal, most of which were from users in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Users said there were no problems accessing via VPN or using it in censorship bypass mode. Mikhail Klimarev, the owner of the Telegram channel "For Telecom", told Reuters, "This actually indicates a blocking of the messenger in Russia and not a technical problem on Signal's part." 

Signal has not yet made any statement on the issue. Users in Moscow and the Krasnodar region reported that it was impossible to create an account on Signal without a VPN. A server error message was received when entering a mobile number.