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Russia appears to be following through on its threat last year to block access to the Telegram encrypted messaging platform.
The BBC reports today that the Roskomnadzor media regulator has begun legal proceedings to block the app in the country, after Dubai-based Telegram refused to comply with requests that it hand over the encryption keys.
Telegram was given a deadline of 4 April to hand over the keys, but the company has refused, explaining that the way the service is built means it has no access to them.
Russia's main security agency, the FSB, wants the keys so it can read messages and prevent future terror attacks in the country. In its court filing, Roskomnadzor said the legal action was related to the FSB request and Telegram's non-compliance with its legal requirements as a "distributor of information".
Telegram's lawyer, Pavel Chikov, called the Russian attempt to block the app "groundless" and said the FSB's demand to access users' chat logs was "unconstitutional, baseless, which cannot be fulfilled technically and legally".
Telegram had a legal challenge to the demand dismissed in a Moscow court in March, but the platform creator Pavel Durov has said Telegram, which is widely used in Russia, will not "give up" the private data of its users.
Threats to block Telegram unless it gives up private data of its users won't bear fruit. Telegram will stand for freedom and privacy. — Pavel Durov (@durov) 20 March 2018
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)Better stay with Whatsapp. Rumours are that company is quite easy when it comes to privacy...
You spelled Signal wrong.Better stay with Whatsapp. Rumours are that company is quite easy when it comes to privacy...
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook. At this point, it’s compromised. Just like Skype after it was bought by Microsoft. It’s hard to trust any commercially available software really. Governments develop and build their own CPUs, hardware and software if they want to communicate securely these days.I get Russia is the evil of the month, but take note of who speaks out against Russia’s demand and how seamlessly they’ll transition to backing the US version of this same policy.
Does this mean ВКонтакте (VKontakte) is next? I know that the VK app has been crippled because of Apple's TOS and we have to use Safari to get all the features.
VK is owned by the government and government-friendly oligarchs so they already have the access to any private information they want.Better stay with Whatsapp. Rumours are that company is quite easy when it comes to privacy...
I'd honestly rather Putin read my messages than the Zuck.Obviously, I'd rather no one, but if I had the pick..
First the People's Republic of China.
That's 'Peoples Republic of trump', or more commonly known as trumpistan.Then the People's Republic of Russia.
Next the Peoples Republic of the UK and USA.
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I’ve been hearing that a lot of people are saying Trump supports this. Lots of support, great support.
He'll support anything that attacks the people at the bottom... Ironic he's the largest bottom feeder.