2w ago

Ukraine Asks if Telegram, Its Favorite App, Is a Sleeper Agent

www.nytimes.com Ukraine Weighs Telegram Security Risks Amid War With Russia

The messaging app’s popularity has soared during the war with Russia, leading Ukrainian officials to increasingly weigh Telegram’s upsides against its security risks.

About 70 percent of Ukraine's population uses Telegram as their main source of news, but the government is worried that the app is being used as a method of disinformation and spying by Russia. They are trying to pivot to apps like Signal instead, but it is difficult to break the habit of such a majority of the country.

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38 comments

Imagine entire country using coms software operated by the enemy.
Are these people idiots or just don't care for national security?
- Imagine entire country using coms software operated by the enemy.
  Do I get it right that you know that
  Pavel Durov (the creator of Telegram) has left Russia after refusing to give government information on Ukrainians during 2014 protests (from his previous project - VK, also used by both people in Russia and Ukraine)
  Russian government's most extensive blocking campaign/attempt was targeted at Telegram
  Telegram's headquarters are in UAE
  and still somehow make a conclusion that "it is operated by the enemy" (assuming that by enemy you mean Russian government)? I'd like to learn more about this logic :)
  
  There are some credible rumors that Durov had financial issues during the pandemic and went back to Russia to strike some sort of deal with the regime there, which would also explain why since then there have been no further attempts to block Telegram in Russia.
  
  What gives those rumors credibility other than "Russia bad"?
  If you have links to some sources with some facts - I'd very much like to read them
  
  Here.
  
  Thanks, that was an interesting read :)
  Of course it doesn't prove anything (especially that Telegram sends any information about Ukrainians to Russian government!), but at least those allegations indeed have more credibility than the usual "Russia bad". It also doesn't say anything about Durov doing something because he had financial problems. And what it definitely doesn't say is that "Telegram is operated by Russia".
  
  Yeah next you are going to ask us to prove that signal shares meta data with nsa, other wise it doesn't happen
  🤡
  
  Did your regime propagandists tell you that?
  
  Didn't Pavel get arrested in France?
  
  Every social media that isn't under anglo american control is a possible threat to the current global order. We have all seen this.
  
  The first time I can't tell whether it's sarcasm or not. This is what .world userbase looks like
  
  Where? Tiktok?
  
  Of course they would do that. Nobody would use it if the server was in putin's bedroom.
  Unless it's auditted and open source then you should assume its spyware.
  
  Unless it's auditted and open source then you should assume its spyware.
  I do. I use Matrix and recommend it to all my friends.
  "Telegram is spyware" was not the original thesis I replied to, it was about "operated by the enemy".
  
  All software not under my direct control and personnal audit is operated by the enemy until proven otherwise.
  windows, voidtool everything, irfanview, wiztree, Lemmy.ml gmail.com reddit.com youtube.com, my bank's website. All operated by the technocapital enemy.
  I use nothing from russia but you better believe everything out of them is considered in the enemy camp.
  
  voidtool everything
  what? did they do something questionable?
  
  No, it is great praise from me that I still use them. But I will purge all proprietary software and all uses of "someone else's" computer from my life.
  
  A girl can leave Russia but Russia never leaves the girl;)
  How naive are you?
  Even if everything you say can be assumed to be true, the risk from national security perspective is unacceptable during a time of war.
- Are you suggesting that the global reliance on Microsoft by every government could potentially pose an issue?
  
  Obviously yes, it is catastrophic for security to use windows, macos, android, ios. Anyone trusting this software is a fool.
  
  Indeed but my point here is that Ukraine is at war with Russia...
  Ukraine is not at war with US. So risk is Microsoft being imbeciles... Russia literally wants Ukraine wiped out and yet the idiots unable to change an app on their phone because "network effects and habit"
  Just wow
  
  Russia literally wants Ukraine wiped out and yet the idiots unable to change an app on their phone because "network effects and habit"
  The thing with Zelensky's propaganda is that externally (with people familiar with the situation only from CNN (or whever you get your information from..)) it works an order of magnitude better than internally.. :)
  So "idiots" use Telegram because not only they see no threat in it (why would they?), but also because it helps to avoid the very real threat of "lawful mobilization actions" by the government.
  
  Russia larper spotted
  Cheers!
  
  Yeah, I hear this quite often :)
  Every Ukrainian who doesnt want to die for Zelensky is a Russian, yeah yeah yeah heard that one more times than I can count.
  Cheers :)
  
  People using russian talking-points will get called russin, big surprise
  
  Is anything I've said a lie though? Or maybe misinformation? Or maybe I'm manipulating facts? Or maybe "Russian talking-points" is how you label inconvenient truth that you are not willing to accept? :)
  Debunk what I've said, show everyone that I'm just a Russian propagandist (or even better - a bot) spreading lies and deceptions!
  Ah yeah right, why do that if calling someone a "Russian larper" is a good enough argument for some folks... :)
  
  The burden of proof lies with you. You allege that CNN is zelensky-Propaganda. Now prove it. Then I will believe you.
  Until then you're just spreading russian Propaganda.
  
  Sure, what exactly would you like to have a proof for?
  
  Zelensky's Propaganda
  Oh my...
  
  I know, right? I was also shocked when I discovered that it's not just the evil-evil Russia who does the propaganda thing! :)
  
  As if telegram was better than signal in avoiding state sniffing. Security by design is always better than security by trust.
- Kek.
  That could never happen!
  looks at western countries and tik toc
  Social media is a theater of war. Manipulating citizens of a country slowly and insidiously over time is a huge win that inflicts no casualties on your own populace.

38 comments