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What's wrong with telegram ?


                                          

Telegram is a popular messaging app with over one billion users. Recently, it made headlines because its CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France. Durov is facing legal issues for not responding to requests to identify a suspect in an ongoing investigation. This arrest is unusual because tech executives rarely face legal trouble of this sort.

Here's a breakdown of the key points about Telegram and whether you should trust it:

Safety Concerns

Durov’s arrest was due to Telegram's failure to assist French authorities in identifying a user involved in illegal activities. This incident highlights a broader issue: Telegram has a history of not responding to legal requests, which raises concerns about how it handles safety and cooperation with authorities. For not cooperating with investigations, Telegram gets a negative point on trust.

 Leadership and Personal Stance

Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, has a reputation for championing free speech and resisting government censorship. He started Telegram partly due to conflicts with Russian authorities over censorship issues. His commitment to free speech is commendable and earns Telegram a positive point.

 However, Durov’s behavior of acquiring multiple citizenships and his interactions with authoritarian figures in the UAE raise questions about whether he’s trying to shield himself from accountability. This aspect of his behavior leads to another negative point.

  Business Model and Monetization

Telegram’s business model has been mostly funded by Durov’s personal wealth. He plans to introduce privacy-friendly ads, unlike many other platforms that use invasive data practices. This approach is better than many other monetization methods, so Telegram gets a positive point for its commitment to a less invasive business model.

  Government and Transparency

Telegram has stated that it does not share user data with governments, but it lacks transparency reports to verify this claim. The app's relationship with various governments, including authoritarian ones, is suspicious. For example, Telegram’s acceptance of significant investment from the UAE raises concerns about potential influences or demands from these regimes. This earns Telegram another negative point.

  Usage and Impact

Telegram is used widely by pro-democracy activists and has been banned in several countries because of its support for free speech. However, the platform has also allowed extremist groups to operate, which raises serious safety concerns. For failing to adequately address harmful content, Telegram receives another negative point.

  Security

Telegram does not use end-to-end encryption by default for all chats, which is a basic requirement for privacy-focused apps. This means Telegram can access message content if needed. For this reason, Telegram falls short compared to other apps like Signal and WhatsApp, which offer end-to-end encryption by default. This results in another negative point.

Final Score

In summary, Telegram scores four positive points for its leadership stance, ethical monetization promises, support for free speech, and relatively good legal data access practices. It scores five negative points for safety issues, questionable leadership actions, questionable government ties, allowing harmful content, and inadequate encryption.

 Conclusion

If you use Telegram, be aware that it’s not the most secure app and may not adequately protect users from harmful content. It’s best used for its public features rather than private communications. For those concerned about safety and privacy, other platforms like Signal may be a better choice.



 


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