In 2013, two Russian brothers created an app called Telegram Messenger, which became popular within the next 10 years and also became a challenge for the world. This idea first came to the mind of programmer and mathematician Nikolai Valerievich Durov and his brother Pavel Durov, a business executive, when both worked for the Russian social network VK. But both of them had decided that something different had to be done. In 2014, both the brothers left the company for Telegram. This step of his did not go well with the Vladimir Putin government of Russia. The pressure on both increased so much that they had to leave the country. Recently, Telegram Chief Executive Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris. Since then, the discussion regarding the future of Telegram has intensified in India. Do you know why there is talk of banning Telegram? After all, why are questions being raised about Telegram?
Recently, Telegram’s name also came up in the UGC NET and NEET exam controversy. NEET UG exam held on May 5 this year was leaked in various districts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Haryana. In the investigation, Telegram was said to be used as this medium. Telegram is one of the most popular social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
Restrictions may be imposed to stop hate speech and terrorist propaganda
Telegram users are also known for sharing pirated content like movies, music, software, e-books, etc. At the same time, this platform is being used to spread hate speech and extremist propaganda. To stop these illegal activities, strict action can be taken against Telegram in India, in which there is also a possibility of banning the app.
What is Telegram and on which platforms does it work?
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging app that works on multiple platforms accessed by people around the world. Allows you to send any type of messages, photos, videos and files to your contacts for free. You can also create groups or channels of up to 200,000 people to broadcast to an unlimited number of contacts or users. It is also known for its end-to-end encryption chat as well as video phone calls. One of the platforms included in Telegram is Mailchimp. Telegram currently has more than 700 million active users all over the world. The special thing is that this app is never advertised. In January 2021, it became the world’s most downloaded app. It has become number one with 6.3 crore downloads. The app said that about one billion users use Telegram annually for communication and information.
How different is Telegram app from WhatsApp?
Today there are many popular messaging apps including WhatsApp. Voice and video call features with end-to-end encryption are similar in Telegram and WhatsApp. The biggest difference between WhatsApp and Telegram is that Telegram can be used even if you have forgotten the other’s number. Whereas, for messaging in WhatsApp or other messaging apps, you must know the phone number of the other party. Secret chat can be done with any person in Telegram, whereas secret chat is not allowed without WhatsApp phone number. There is also a difference that Telegram users can save their entire message history, photos, videos and files on the cloud. With this, users can fulfill any of these needs in future if needed. WhatsApp or other messaging apps do not provide these facilities.
Dirty videos of children are being sold in the name of CP
Cyber expert Monali says that dirty videos of children are bought and sold on some groups of Telegram under the name ‘CP’. According to data posted on the Telegram channel ‘Stop Child Abuse’, more than 2,193 groups and channels related to child abuse were banned by Telegram on July 26 this year. In July, 53,000 such channels and groups were banned. Till July 26 this year, 6,70,000 Telegram channels and groups were banned. Such dirty videos are first downloaded from the dark web, then they are bought or sold on Telegram.
According to cyber expert Monali Krishna Guha, adult content and objectionable photo-videos are easily available on Telegram. There is an abundance of such content on Telegram channels. Like the dark web, Telegram is also becoming the dark web for mobile users. Users get such content easily. When these are reported on Telegram, they are stopped, but the very next day many groups selling such dirty videos are born like a bloodbath. Raktabeej was a mythical demon, after killing which, as many drops of blood fell on the earth, as many Raktabeejs were born.
Why was Telegram CEO arrested, what are the allegations
According to officials, the 39-year-old billionaire was arrested in connection with activities related to messaging app Telegram. Durov is accused of failing to stop criminal activities taking place on Telegram. Telegram is accused of not cooperating with the authorities in the investigation of drug trafficking, child sexual material and fraud cases. However, Telegram has denied the allegation that it failed to stop such things. Telegram said in a statement, the app’s moderation (monitoring and controlling unwanted activities) is as per industry standards and is continuously improving.