August 15, 2025 | 10:26 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Starting September 2025, every new digital device sold in Russia will be equipped with an instant messaging app called MAX. This app was developed by the local tech company VK and introduced back in March 2025.
According to the India Times, MAX not only offers messaging and video call services, but also functions as an integrated portal to access government services, make digital payments, and manage personal data. Because this app's servers are located in Russia, it is subject to national laws that grant the Federal Security Service (FSB) authority to access user information upon request.
Technology experts have warned that the MAX app could become a powerful surveillance tool, strengthening the government's control over its citizens. According to Mark Galeotti, a Russian security and politics analyst, the launch of MAX is part of the Kremlin's strategy to encourage its citizens to abandon foreign apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
Previously, Galeotti had assessed that WhatsApp, used by over 70% of the Russian population, is likely to be banned once MAX is widely used.
Russian opposition journalist Andrey Okun stated that MAX is the cornerstone of the Kremlin's dream to build a "digital gulag," a sterile online space where the government has full control over its citizens' leisure time, motivation, and thoughts. "This will be a sterile space in which the authorities have complete control over the leisure time, motives and thoughts of citizens," wrote Okun on the Republic website, as quoted by NDTV World.
As reported by The Independent UK, technology experts and monitors affirm that MAX is not an initial step, but a continuation of Russia's long-standing efforts to monitor all domestic internet activities. Keir Giles, the author of Russia's War on Everybody, referred to this move as normalizing internet surveillance in Russia.
With the introduction of MAX, the government now has a reason and the means to sever its citizens' dependency on global platforms. Galeotti added that the government is likely to ban or restrict WhatsApp and Telegram to force migration to MAX.
Russian authorities are reportedly already testing MAX in schools, with indications that this app will become a mandatory communication tool for teachers, parents, and even students. This integration makes MAX difficult to avoid in daily life, whether for administrative matters, education, or financial transactions.
On the other hand, the government is also tightening rules regarding the use of VPNs. Nearly 200 VPN services have been blocked, their advertisements prohibited, and using a VPN for criminal activities is now considered an "aggravating circumstance" in criminal law.
Analysts believe that the Kremlin's ultimate goal is to establish a sovereign internet: a closed digital ecosystem in which the state can control online activity, censor information, and block foreign platforms at will.
Despite increasing pressure, many Russians still access prohibited platforms via VPN and have made MAX the subject of jokes on social media, including on the blocked Instagram.
However, with the increasingly stringent VPN restrictions and the arrests of critics, including bloggers and popular channel administrators, the space for digital resistance is narrowing.
The launch of MAX marks a new phase in Russia's digital control. On one hand, this app is packaged as a national technological advancement. However, many view it as a symbol of unbridled surveillance, in which citizens' freedom of expression and privacy are compromised in exchange for the state's complete control over the digital space.
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