Ukraine bans use of Telegram on state-issued units

World Courant

Ukraine has banned the usage of the Telegram messaging platform on official units of presidency and army personnel, in addition to workers within the protection sector and significant infrastructure.

The nation’s highly effective Nationwide Safety and Protection Council (Rnbo) mentioned this was executed to “reduce” the menace from Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Telegram is actively utilized by the enemy for cyberattacks, the distribution of phishing and malicious software program, geolocation of customers and correction of missile assaults,” the Rnbo mentioned on Friday.

Telegram is broadly utilized by the federal government and army in each Ukraine and Russia.

The Rnbo mentioned in a press release that the ban was agreed at a gathering of high Ukrainian info safety officers, the army and lawmakers.

In accordance with the report, the pinnacle of army intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, had supplied credible proof that Russian particular companies had entry to the private correspondence of Telegram customers, even to their deleted messages.

“I’ve all the time supported freedom of speech and proceed to take action, however the Telegram problem isn’t a matter of freedom of speech, however of nationwide safety,” Budanov was quoted as saying.

The Rnbo mentioned that civil servants for whom utilizing Telegram is a part of their work duties could be exempt from the ban.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Rnbo Heart for Combating Disinformation, careworn that the ban applies solely to official units, to not private smartphones.

He added that authorities officers and army personnel can proceed to keep up and replace their official Telegram pages.

A USAID-Internews survey final yr discovered that Telegram was the most well-liked social platform in Ukraine for consuming information, with 72% of Ukrainians utilizing it.

Telegram, which provides end-to-end encryption, was co-founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov and his brother in 2013.

A yr later, Durov left Russia after refusing to adjust to authorities calls for to shut opposition teams on the platform.

Final month, Durov, who additionally holds French nationality, was positioned below formal investigation in France as a part of an investigation into organised crime.

His case has sparked a debate about freedom of speech, accountability and the best way platforms reasonable content material.

In July, Durov claimed that Telegram had 950 million month-to-month lively customers.

Ukraine bans use of Telegram on state-issued units

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