Ukraine has now restricted the use of the Telegram messaging app by govt. officials, military personnel, & other defence & critical infrastructure workers, citing ‘national security’ concerns.
The ban was announced by the Ukrainian National Co-Ordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCCC) in a post just shared on Facebook.
“I have always advocated & advocate for freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a question of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security,” Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency, said.
Used by the Enemy
Ukraine’s National Security & Defence Council (NSDC) said that Telegram is “actively used by the enemy” to launch cyber-attacks, spread phishing messages & malicious software, track users’ whereabouts, & gather intelligence to help the Russian military target Ukraine’s facilities with drones & missiles.
The use of Telegram has been proscribed on official devices of employees of state authorities, military personnel, employees of the security & defence sector, as well as enterprises that are operators of critical infrastructure.
Permanently Deleted
The ban does not extend to personal phones, or people who use the app as part of their official duties.
In a statement shared with Reuters, Telegram said it has not provided any personal data to any country, including Russia, & that deleted messages are permanently deleted with no way of recovering them.
This development comes just weeks after Telegram’s CEO was arrested in France & then released on bail in connection with an investigation into the use of the popular messaging app for child pornography, drug trafficking, & fraud.
