Cloudflare removes ‘spyware’ label from Russia’s state-backed messaging app Max

Source: Meduza

Cloudflare Radar has removed a “spyware” label from the domains of Russia’s state-backed messaging app Max, according to the service’s data.

The label was stripped from two domains — max.ru and web.max.ru. As of April 30, both had carried the “spyware” flag, media reported.

The messenger’s press service said Cloudflare’s classification stemmed from a misinterpretation of request headers sent to standard web analytics services, not from any analysis of the app’s code. Why the label disappeared by May 1 is unknown.

A similar label had previously been seen as one of the reasons the unofficial Telegram client Telega was pulled from the App Store — an app that had built a large following in Russia as Telegram itself faced restrictions. Shortly after Telega vanished from the App Store, it emerged that Cloudflare had flagged two of its domains as “spyware.”

Russia’s state-backed messaging app Max was launched by VK in the spring of 2025. Russian authorities have been pushing its adoption across a range of contexts — from building group chats to authentication on the Gosuslugi government services portal. At the same time, Russia has restricted WhatsApp and effectively blocked Telegram.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.

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Cloudflare removes ‘spyware’ label from Russia’s state-backed messaging app Max

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