Ukrainian government officials are considering the possibility of introducing new restrictions against the Telegram messenger. This is reported by the New York Times, citing sources who claim that these discussions are ongoing as part of "secret cyber security meetings" held this year.
The publication describes the fears that were previously expressed by supporters of banning or restricting the messenger in Ukraine, in particular, the chairman 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 reminds that during the 2019 presidential race, Zelensky himself "skillfully used the service" to win the election, and his future digital minister Fedorov "was in regular contact with Mr. Durov and his management team."
But after the start of a full-scale war, the Ukrainian special services and the 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 at the beginning of 2024, Kyiv turned to Apple with a request to influence Telegram, which refused to block certain publics at the request of Ukraine.
"Ukraine appealed to Apple to intervene. The government has asked the tech giant to use its leverage to force Telegram to remove certain fake accounts operated from Russia. By April, Telegram closed the accounts," the article says.
