A Russian lawmaker has urged state institutions to stop using it Metaplatforms Inc.‘s META Whatsappwhile the country tries to wean itself off western technologies.

What happened: On Wednesday, Anton GorelkinDeputy Chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the Russian Parliament said he will delete WhatsApp and advised state institutions to do the same, reported Reuters.

After the invasion of UkraineHostility between Moscow and the US Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Inc.‘s TWTR The eponymous app came to a head as these platforms targeted Russian-run media. Russia even forbidden Facebook and Instagram earlier this year, adding Meta to the list of “terrorist and extremist” organizations.

In such a scenario social media app telegram saw a surge in user numbers and became a major war news exchange.

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Speaking to Telegram, Gorelkin said: “I think it is necessary to introduce a total ban on WhatsApp use for official purposes by the Russian state and municipal employees.”

It “doesn’t matter” whether the alternative software comes from Russia or Dubai. “The main thing is that it does not belong to any company that is openly involved in information warfare against our country and is on the list of terrorist and extremist organizations,” Gorelkin said.

Why it matters: Telegram, co-founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, overtook WhatsApp to become the country’s the most popular news Tool March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also uses Telegram to reach the public.

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