Russian telecom operator advocates new regulations on WhatsApp, Viber, and Skype

Ivan Tavrin, the president of Russia’s third largest telecom operator, MegaFon, has asked the government to introduce new regulations on the messaging services WhatsApp, Viber, and Skype.

According to Tavrin, these applications may be more convenient than traditional SMS, but they put dangerous power in the hands of terrorists and spammers. For this reason, Tavrin advocates stricter regulations both in Russia and globally.

“I have no doubt that this market will change both in Russia and worldwide. I think it should be regulated in some way. Safety should come first,” said Tavrin.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular Internet messaging services in the world, allowing mobile phone users to share messages, photos, and use group chats. Skype allows chatting, videochatting, and other services. Viber combines the functions of WhatsApp and Skype.

In the fall of 2014, the Russian company Rostelecom announced that it would spend 70 million rubles ($1.2 million) on developing its own alternative to Skype.