JAKARTA Russia officially became the latest country to limit WhatsApp services on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. The local government accused the instant messaging platform owned by Meta Platforms Inc of failing to provide important information regarding cases of fraud and terrorism. This step adds to the length of the list of countries that have restricted or blocked WhatsApp, both in full and in part.
China started a total block of WhatsApp in 2017. The country uses a strict internet sensor system known as Great Firewall to filter and block data traffic to servers overseas.
Since then, the Chinese people have switched to local applications such as WeChat for daily communication needs. Meanwhile, North Korea has already closed access to WhatsApp since 2016, along with the ban on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and a number of other foreign platforms. The country is known to have one of the most closed internet systems in the world.
Russia, which is now starting call restrictions on WhatsApp, has long been in conflict with various international technology companies over content settings and data storage.
Similar policies also apply in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which since 2017 prohibits most Internet Protocol (VoIP) Voice over services such as internet-based free voice and video calls. Even so, WhatsApp text messaging services are still permitted. Even in 2020, the UAE government had allowed internet calls via WhatsApp during the Dubai Expo.
Qatar also does not officially block WhatsApp, but limits VoIP call services. In Egypt, there is no full ban on WhatsApp calls, but the government has slowed connections several times to hinder communications. Jordan also imposed similar restrictions on internet calls.
Several countries imposed bans only temporarily. Iran, for example, last year lifted WhatsApp blocking as part of an effort to ease internet policies that were previously very strict.
Turkey is currently not limiting WhatsApp, although it has blocked it in the past for domestic political reasons. Uganda in 2021 banned WhatsApp and other social media as a form of protest against Facebook’s move to block a number of pro-government accounts. The ban has now been removed. Cuba has also limited access to WhatsApp and other social media in 2021, although it only lasts a while.
Interestingly, WhatsApp restrictions also occur in the United States, although not nationally. In June 2025, the US House of Representatives issued a ban on the use of WhatsApp across the institution’s devices, based on internal memos sent to all staff.
This phenomenon of WhatsApp blocking shows that even though this application is one of the largest communication platforms in the world, its existence remains vulnerable to political policies, security regulations, and information control in various countries.
For users, access to WhatsApp in some areas is not always guaranteed and relies heavily on applicable regulations in each country.
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