Experts warn Russia’s ‘Max’ app consolidates device data and threatens access to the global internet

At a briefing hosted by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the U.S. Helsinki Commission), panelists warned that Max, a new Russian app, is being pushed by authorities as a one‑stop platform that can give officials broad access to users’ messages, contacts, Internet usage and location.

The Director, U.S. Helsinki Commission, introduced the panel and framed the discussion around reports from occupied Ukraine and a recent trip to Kyiv, saying the Kremlin has "launched Max, a super app that gives Russian officials wide ranging access to users' messages, contacts, Internet usage, and location." Panelists then described how Max fits into Russia’s wider approach to censorship and surveillance, and recommended concrete steps the United States and private companies could take to blunt its effects.

Why it matters: Panelists argued that Max is not merely another messaging app but part of a broader model of platform substitution and layered censorship. Laura Cunningham, president of the Open Technology Fund, said the Kremlin’s strategy risks creating…