Telegram, the messaging app best known for being a free-for-all private space, is changing its stance on user privacy. This follows the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov last month in France, where he faced charges including “enabling illegal transactions”.
After Durov was detained he was then forbidden from traveling outside France as the courts addressed his case. At first, Durov remained firm on Telegram’s policies about free speech and not restricting its users. This also landed him with charges for not cooperating with the authorities.
In a show of support for Durov and his platform, downloads for Telegram soared through the roof during that time period. Telegram quickly became the second most popular social app on the App Store in the U.S. and enjoyed similar positions in other regions of the world as well.
However, after years of being lauded as the platform for freedom of expression, Telegram seems to be reversing course. At first, Telegram introduced a new way to report “illegal content”. The app also sneakily altered its FAQ section and removed its claims of not monitoring private conversations and group chats.
The downfall begins. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Now Durov has explicitly stated that Telegram will comply with legal requests and hand over users’ phone numbers and IP addresses to authorities. In fact, the platform is also introducing AI monitoring tools so it can remain on top of aforementioned “illegal content”. A human team will be monitoring Telegram and removing content deemed problematic as well.
It is true that the platform has often served as a hub for more radical subsets of the populace to congregate. However, and I say this from personal experience, it’s also helped bring together some truly wonderful people. Folks who couldn’t speak out in public due to various external factors.
Whether you agree with the new direction Telegram is taking or not, it’s hard to deny that the platform will just not be the same again. If Telegram is now going to be handing over your data to authorities it might see a mass exodus as a large portion of the user base leaves for alternatives.
It also remains to be seen how the app will handle users who use the platform without providing a phone number and via a VPN. We might see a mandatory phone number requirement in the future, and that would be really controversial.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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