Signal has been blocked by Venezuela and Russia

Signal is being blocked in Venezuela and Russia. The app is a popular choice for encrypted messaging and people trying to avoid government censorship, and the blocks appear to be part of a crackdown on internal dissent in both countries.

In Venezuela, the blockage follows the disputed results of the country’s presidential election last month, which have led to protests and arrests as president Nicolás Maduro clings to power, according to MSNBC. (The US has recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the election.) Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said Thursday evening that Signal had become “unreachable on multiple internet providers” in the country. Maduro has also ordered a block on X, The Associated Press reports.

In Russia, the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, says that Signal violated Russian legislation, reports Interfax. People in Russia also can’t register a new Signal account without using a VPN, Reuters reports. Russia has “restricted Signal messaging app backends on most internet providers” as of Friday afternoon, NetBlocks says.

“We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries,” Signal says. If you are affected by the blocks, the company recommends turning on its censorship circumvention feature. (NetBlocks reports that this feature lets Signal “remain usable” in Russia.) Signal didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Users in Russia have also reported a mass YouTube outage in the country, according to VOA News. “We are aware of reports of some people not being able to access YouTube in Russia,” YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward tells The Verge. “That is not as a result of any technical issues on our side or action taken by us.”