Digital services

From talking cats to Putin’s spy app: how Max keeps an eye on Russia

It’s called Max and offers a range of digital services. It is capable of gathering information about its users and impersonating them without them realising: the University of Michigan is sounding the alarm

by Vittoria Belluschi

19 September 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

It was 2014. Mobile games for smartphones and tablets were enjoying their heyday. Among the most popular in Italia were ‘My Talking Tom’ and its companion ‘My Talking Angela’, two kittens to look after and interact with. The digital game had been at the centre of one of the most successful hoaxes across the country: many people were convinced that users were being spied on through the eyes of the two cats.

Today, in 2026, there is an app being used to monitor people. This is what has been discovered on the Russian platform Max, which has been downloaded by tens of millions of Russians who were forced to do so. No fake news this time.

Over the past 18 months, the Russian authorities have promoted the app as a patriotic alternative to Telegram and WhatsApp, with media support from celebrities such as the singer Instasamka, who has 5 million followers on Instagram. Promotional campaigns for Max have made it the most widely used messaging app in Russia.

Max is a “super-app” that brings together an ecosystem of services designed to make everyday life easier for Russian citizens; not just text messaging, but also payments, news and access to government services. The product is the brainchild of the Russian social media company VKontakte, in which President Vladimir Putin holds an indirect stake.

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The discovery

The concerns regarding the surveillance carried out by the Max app stem from an investigation conducted by the research team led by Roya Ensafi, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Michigan.

By downloading the version used in Russia, the team discovered the app’s hidden functions: taking screenshots of users’ devices and the content of its mini-apps, accessing all the information stored within it, and even impersonating users without them realising.

A case of impersonation was reported on the X platform. A young woman explained in a video that she had received an image from a friend of hers without the friend’s knowledge. The photo in question, which is shown in the video, had not been taken at random from the internet, but belonged to the broadcaster’s personal gallery.

“We have studied the escalation of Russia’s control over the internet over the last ten years,” said Ensafi. “What Max offers is the most ingenious – and at the same time the most frightening – tactic used by authoritarian governments” to monitor their citizens.

The alarming thing is that the Russians have created a model that ‘any government can follow’ towards digital authoritarianism. The professor explained that Max could even be used to launch cyber-attacks, given its ability to inject code into mini-apps. It is reassuring, however, to know that the app is unable to penetrate platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp.

How Max is perceived in Russia

It would appear that, amongst the Russian elite, the use of Max is often merely for show. The British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has reported the testimony of a person from the Kremlin’s inner circle who says that he, along with some of his friends, bought a second mobile phone solely to install Max, so that they could continue using their apps. “It’s all a charade. Nobody in politics actually uses it,” the source said.

The same does not apply, however, to ordinary citizens. A teacher reported having been intimidated by the headteacher: ‘From now on, everything is on Max. This includes conversations with parents, sending out homework and communications with other schools.’

Many people are concerned about the protection of their privacy and freedoms. “Saying no isn’t an option; so, in the end, you just use the app,” the teacher revealed.