Originally Russian Telegram is popular in Ukraine, but is it safe? † Tech

Telegram is becoming increasingly popular in Western Europe, but is particularly widely used in the East. It looks a bit like WhatsApp, but offers so-called channels in addition to ‘normal’ chats.

Through such a channel, someone can send information to anyone who follows the channel. Telegram channels are widely used to disseminate information about the Ukraine war, in both Russia and Ukraine itself. For example, many of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s videos are distributed via Telegram before going viral elsewhere. At the same time, Telegram also appears to be a source of a lot of disinformation.

,, With every messaging app you use, you have to ask yourself, regardless of any crisis: who does this app belong to, and are your messages properly encrypted?” says Rejo Zenger of privacy group Bits of Freedom. “That really does not only apply to Telegram, but also to, for example, an American or Dutch app.”

The company behind Telegram is based in the British Virgin Islands and in Dubai, but the app was developed by two originally Russian programmers, the brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov. These brothers made their mark by founding Vkontakte, a social media site that is very popular in Russia.

We write originally, because Pavel now has three passports: Russian, French and, like his brother, one from Saint Kitts and Nevis, an island kingdom in the Caribbean. Pavel refused to help the government suppress political opposition on Vkontakte around the 2011 Russian elections. The company was bought out soon after by the Durov brothers, and in 2013 they started Telegram. They fled Russia in 2014 after pressure from the police for an alleged traffic offence.

When the brothers refused to release user data in 2018, Russia banned Telegram. However, it turned out to be so easy to circumvent this ban that the app can be used again since 2020.

Pavel Durov would finance the app mainly out of his own pocket. So far, the brothers have not been able to make the app profitable.

“I personally wouldn’t recommend Telegram for confidential use,” says Rejo Zenger. “The makers of the app do not have to comply with Dutch law. With a Dutch app you have more control over your data.”

But he sees another problem with Telegram: “If you send a message with WhatsApp, it is encrypted: the app ensures that only you and the recipient can read the message. If someone intercepts your message, they can’t just read it.”

With Telegram it is different. “Such end-to-end encryption is not automatically enabled there. You have to explicitly opt for it again with every chat. If you forget to check that box, someone can read along along the way.”

Therefore, even if Russia was not currently at war, Zenger would not recommend using the app for confidential purposes. “And for people who are active in this crisis, there is still an increased risk.”

Pavel Durov himself acknowledged the concerns about the messaging app on Monday. “Nine years ago I defended Ukrainians’ personal data against the Russian government – and lost my job and my home,” he wrote on Telegram. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He made no concrete promises.

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