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.
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.
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".
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.
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"
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.
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... :)
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.