Here’s what we know about Blink, Russia’s Gen Z location-sharing app that publicly attacks VK’s Max messenger but sends user data to the tech giant
Russian messaging app Blink, which lets users track their friends’ locations, sends user data to VK servers, Novaya Gazeta Europe journalists found. Publicly, however, Blink takes aim at VK, attacking one of the company’s leading products, the Max messaging app, and feuding with VK design director Artemy Lebedev. Here’s what you need to know.
Russian messaging app Blink, which allows users to track each other's locations, has been found to send user data to VK servers, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe journalists. Publicly, Blink targets VK's popular Max messenger app, feuding with the company's design director, Artemy Lebedev. In August 2026, Blink and associated bloggers publicly criticized Lebedev after he called Blink an "anti-app" with "everything terrible and monstrous."
Blink's senior employees and a former CEO have either transferred to Blink from VK or remain at VK. The app continuously tracks users' movements and sends the data to various locations, including VK servers, without end-to-end encryption. It sends location data to MyTracker, a VK-owned analytics system, every few seconds, enabling the recreation of detailed routes, including speed and stopping points.
Blink Maps, the app's main component, is hosted on VK's servers, which VK does not rent out. Meduza journalists emphasize their commitment to transparency in the use of AI in the newsroom, with every draft reviewed by an editor before publication. For those interested in Meduza's exclusive English content, a subscription to their newsletter is required.
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