/pol/ told me that the UK is an Orwellian nightmare, and Russia isn't, but maybe /pol/ is wrong? Russia is pushing its citizens to use a new messenger app which the Kremlin has more control over, so that citizens can be spied on.
>Russia, where people are prosecuted for critical comments or private messages
>new restrictions imposed in mid-August by Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, on calls made through the two platforms [WhatsApp and Telegram] - the country's most popular apps
>The timing coincides with the rollout of a new "national messenger" app known as Max and created by a Russian firm closely controlled by the Kremlin
>The new Max app is being aggressively promoted by pop stars and bloggers, and since 1 September all devices sold in Russia must have Max pre-installed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9rj2145jgo

Imagine if the UK placed restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram and required that a UK-government-associated messenger app be pre-installed on every phone sold in the UK.