Russia Is On The Verge Of Banning Telegram Messenger App

After months of rulings and hearings, a Russian court on Friday ordered that the Telegram messenger app must be blocked in the country. This decision came out after a long battle between the Telegram and Russia’s telecommunication watchdog, Roskomnadzor over sharing of their user’s personal data with the government.

A news agency in Russian, Tass reported that the messaging app would be banned in the country on immediate basis following the court ruling, but there’s no clear time frame as to how instantly the ban would come into effect. The ban would stay in place until Telegram agrees to share the encryption keys to their user data with Russia’s Federal Security Services (FSB).

Also Read: Here’s How To Unblock Banned/Restricted Apps & Websites In Russia

Russia, in the wake of the recently implemented anti-terrorism laws in 2016, required every messaging app to provide the authorities the explicit permission to access their user data, but where a lot of the entities compiled, Telegram stood firm and refused to give any sort of permission or access to their user personal data. Although Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov hasn’t given out any official statements yet pertaining to the ban, he withdrew his lawyers from the recent hearing which was a surprising act in itself and spoke volumes.

Furthermore, Pavel Durov believed that this law is invasive and the extent of authorizations and permissions being asked doesn’t comply with Telegram’s privacy policy.

Note: Keeping in view the rising issues pertaining to invasive laws, Government Surveillance and third-party spying, it’s advisable to use a VPN at all times to avoid any unforeseen situation and to enjoy complete online freedom.