Ukrainian government officials are considering new restrictions on the Telegram messenger, the New York Times reported, citing sources who said the discussions were ongoing as part of “secret cybersecurity meetings” held this year.
The publication describes concerns that have previously been expressed by supporters of banning or restricting the messenger in Ukraine, in particular, the head of the Council's Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yurchyshyn.
Ukrainian officials are concerned that, unlike other social networks, Telegram "does not have an algorithm that determines what people see and content moderation.".
At the same time, the newspaper recalls that Zelensky himself, during the 2019 presidential race, “skillfully used the service” to win the election, and his future digital minister, Fedorov, “regularly contacted Mr. Durov and his management team.”.
But after the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian intelligence agencies and authorities began to talk more about the risks associated with Telegram. At the same time, “Ukraine has not presented convincing evidence linking Mr. Durov or the company to the Russian government, and Telegram has stated that it has no ties to the Kremlin.”.
The publication writes that in early 2024, Kyiv asked Apple to influence Telegram, which refused to block individual public accounts upon request from Ukraine.
“Ukraine asked Apple to intervene. The government asked the tech giant to use its leverage to force Telegram to remove certain fake accounts operated from Russia. By April, Telegram had closed the accounts,” the article says.
