Owner of Telegram has been arrested recently

[Lucius]

~snip~
France has been the country people should not travel to. You can see how they seize Nigeria presidential plane and two other planes or so belonging to Nigeria recently. Also now arrested Telegram CEO.

What about Spain? They arrested McAfee and Roger Ver, and I'm sure there are many more cases that are not so exposed in many other countries. As @stompix has already written, this is not about France hunting people because they own social networks, but because they allow illegal content to be shared on their platforms, and child pornography has nothing to do with human rights and privacy. If he knew and didn't do anything, then he is just as guilty as those who published that content.

[paid2]

I hope the attention Telegram is currently getting because of these events will make users realize how unsafe, not privacy-oriented Telegram groups and bots are (no encryption possible, “no secret chats” for groups, bots and on desktop version).

If you're ever looking for an excellent alternative, there's SimpleX which is privacy-friendly: https://simplex.chat/

[SilverCryptoBullet]

Activities to target Telegram started long time before the arrest hours ago.

FBI wanted to hire a Telegram engineer to set up backdoors on this application and Durov himself faced with some similar pressure in the past.

Freedom of speech is in Universal Declaration of Human Rights and now the whole world with many governments are trying to enforce censorship and against the basic human rights.

[BlackHatCoiner]

There are some privacy messaging applications but I did not try them. Anyone here already used them, please share your experience that they are good or not. Maybe we will need to find some applications as alternatives to Telegram.
[...]
https://getsession.org/

Session is my favorite. It's truly anonymous and decentralized, in the sense that messages are broadcasted in a number of nodes, via onion routing, E2EE, and is fully peer-to-peer with no master servers with special rights. The nodes which transmit your encrypted message keep it temporarily and then discard it. (This is a disadvantage if recovering your messages without local backups is a problem for you.)

The main obstacle with these messenger apps is that very few people truly appreciate the privacy gains. Everyone doesn't care about their privacy until they do.

[JayJuanGee]

There are some privacy messaging applications but I did not try them. Anyone here already used them, please share your experience that they are good or not. Maybe we will need to find some applications as alternatives to Telegram.
[...]
https://getsession.org/

Session is my favorite. It's truly anonymous and decentralized, in the sense that messages are broadcasted in a number of nodes, via onion routing, E2EE, and is fully peer-to-peer with no master servers with special rights. The nodes which transmit your encrypted message keep it temporarily and then discard it. (This is a disadvantage if recovering your messages without local backups is a problem for you.)

The main obstacle with these messenger apps is that very few people truly appreciate the privacy gains. Everyone doesn't care about their privacy until they do.

I was surprised that no one mentioned Nostr, and I am not really too clear about Nostr either, yet I hear many bitcoin podcasters who talk about and refer to Nostr, yet on the forum I have not seen or read too much about Nostr - and there are not too many threads in English about Nostr.  I might need to look more into it too, but I get a bit scared by too many technicalities.

There is one thread in English about Nostr that also links snort.social,  and on snort.social there seems to be quite a bit of recent discussion of both Nostr and how it relates to Durov's arrest.

[BlackHatCoiner]

I was surprised that no one mentioned Nostr

But, Nostr isn't a messenger, at least not just a messenger. It's an entire protocol for social media. And, to be frank with you, I neither understand how it works. Perhaps I haven't dedicated enough time to study the details, but it's absurd to me how can a Twitter clone run decentralized. It might be partially decentralized and partially federated, in the sense that a few nodes store the entire database, and need to be online at all times, otherwise users cannot connect. 

[royalfestus]

When I found out that Durov's arrest was due to censorship of his app, it became clear they were likely trying to gain access to create their usual backdoor, which they claim is essential for national security. This is an ongoing issue he's faced, which even drove him out of Russia. As a longtime follower of Durov on Telegram, I've seen him openly discuss these challenges as Telegram has grown. We shouldn't just report the arrest while ignoring the motive doing so would make us complicit in the oppression he has faced.

[mrust_mobile]

When I found out that Durov's arrest was due to censorship of his app, it became clear they were likely trying to gain access to create their usual backdoor, which they claim is essential for national security. This is an ongoing issue he's faced, which even drove him out of Russia. As a longtime follower of Durov on Telegram, I've seen him openly discuss these challenges as Telegram has grown. We shouldn't just report the arrest while ignoring the motive doing so would make us complicit in the oppression he has faced.

The arrest also made it pretty clear that every other major communication platform and app we use are being spied on. There are some nice suggestions in the thread and we should try them but here is the thing:

We know bisq is a truly decentralized exchange but everybody is still using binance.
We know monero is totally anonymous but the majority of people is still using btc and doing kyc checks voluntarily. (Nothing against btc but obviously xmr is superior to btc when it comes to privacy)

I think the majority don’t really care about their privacy and the governments know that damn well. Even in this forum there are hundreds of people who are ready to sell their passport information for a few bucks probably.

[Hispo]

Activities to target Telegram started long time before the arrest hours ago.

FBI wanted to hire a Telegram engineer to set up backdoors on this application and Durov himself faced with some similar pressure in the past.

Freedom of speech is in Universal Declaration of Human Rights and now the whole world with many governments are trying to enforce censorship and against the basic human rights.

Not only that, some months ago there was an incident in which Spain as a country banned Telegram, alledging copyright problems because of the kind of content which is shared through the application. Many people on that country has perceived such action as a sample on how authoritarian governments in the western  hemisphere can be when comes to freedom of speech and privacy, if I recall correctly, access to Telegram was later re-established for people from Spain. Though it is a very clear precedent on how people are getting spied on, this is the kind of stuff Edward Snowden warned everyone about.

[cabron]

I just learned that Durov was interviewed by Tucker Carlson to which he said the Russian authorities tried to ask for the users database on Telegram but he refused. So he moved to Dubai and then at one point he tried to travel to France in a private jet and then this arrest happened so the France authorities would also be asking for the Telegram user database from him.

He is completely pinned and there is nothing he can do but give up our data to the Fench authorities. Every CEO with something the government wants will have jail time and be interrogated.

[cryptosize]

I was surprised that no one mentioned Nostr

But, Nostr isn't a messenger, at least not just a messenger. It's an entire protocol for social media. And, to be frank with you, I neither understand how it works. Perhaps I haven't dedicated enough time to study the details, but it's absurd to me how can a Twitter clone run decentralized. It might be partially decentralized and partially federated, in the sense that a few nodes store the entire database, and need to be online at all times, otherwise users cannot connect.

I'm pretty sure if you give people a good enough incentive (some sort of decent crypto payment, preferably BTC if possible), they will store the entire database/blockchain and they will even pay for the fastest available FTTH to serve users.

It should be more like Bitcoin (applied game theory/mining incentive) and less like BitTorrent (seeding is optional).

[mrust_mobile]

I just learned that Durov was interviewed by Tucker Carlson to which he said the Russian authorities tried to ask for the users database on Telegram but he refused. So he moved to Dubai and then at one point he tried to travel to France in a private jet and then this arrest happened so the France authorities would also be asking for the Telegram user database from him.

He is completely pinned and there is nothing he can do but give up our data to the Fench authorities. Every CEO with something the government wants will have jail time and be interrogated.

Elon’s fate will be similar if Trump loses the elections. In a year or two I expect him to lose either his freedom or his companies if Trump loses.

That’s why he is so anti-democrat party lately because he doesn’t want to submit to their bullshit.

[FinneysTrueVision]

Elon’s fate will be similar if Trump loses the elections. In a year or two I expect him to lose either his freedom or his companies if Trump loses.

That’s why he is so anti-democrat party lately because he doesn’t want to submit to their bullshit.

Twitter complies with almost every government censorship request. Elon Musk is not the free speech absolutist he claims to be.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/5/2/twitter-fulfilling-more-government-censorship-requests-under-musk

[Text]

For everyone wanting to move to another privacy app; I recommend checking out "Element" it's similar to Telegram, My friend uses it, although I haven't yet. I recommend doing your own research or asking other members about this website
https://element.io/

All of this news was indeed sudden and unexpected but thankfully I do not live in France.

I've cut all ties with users on telegram and wiped all chats(none of which were illegal, but the feds dont need to see that), going to uninstall the app soon.
I won't be on long as usual. The people here on Bitcointalk made me learn alot about privacy which was my new goal to be on the site and without their help I would've been absolutely lost regarding Privacy. I owed the community for helping me achieve my goal, which was why I'm even here right now. May not be anywhere near enough, but better than being a freeloader and doing nothing.

Thanks for the recommendation on Element! I've been looking for a more privacy-focused alternative to Telegram, so I'll definitely check it out and do some research.

By the way, is this what you're referring to? https://element.io/download

Completely understand your move to cut ties with Telegram and wipe your chats. Privacy is a huge concern these days, and it's great that you're taking steps to protect yourself.

[NotATether]

The French government is trying to make the argument that the use of disposable numbers and cryptocurrencies is somehow inherently criminal.
~

Translation to plain-speak:

"We want you to use your real name and real contact info everywhere on the internet but we are not responsible if hackers abuse this data."

Fuck them.

[royalfestus]

When I found out that Durov's arrest was due to censorship of his app, it became clear they were likely trying to gain access to create their usual backdoor, which they claim is essential for national security. This is an ongoing issue he's faced, which even drove him out of Russia. As a longtime follower of Durov on Telegram, I've seen him openly discuss these challenges as Telegram has grown. We shouldn't just report the arrest while ignoring the motive doing so would make us complicit in the oppression he has faced.

The arrest also made it pretty clear that every other major communication platform and app we use are being spied on. There are some nice suggestions in the thread and we should try them but here is the thing:

We know bisq is a truly decentralized exchange but everybody is still using binance.
We know monero is totally anonymous but the majority of people is still using btc and doing kyc checks voluntarily. (Nothing against btc but obviously xmr is superior to btc when it comes to privacy)

I think the majority don’t really care about their privacy and the governments know that damn well. Even in this forum there are hundreds of people who are ready to sell their passport information for a few bucks probably.

"For some citizens, there's nothing left to hide—the government already has all their information. In countries like Russia, China, and North Korea, people may feel less concerned about concealing their identities, which could explain their attitudes. Major exchanges are being targeted by agencies like the FBI, which is why these platforms may be more inclined to comply with certain regulations that could restrict the listing of anonymous coins like Monero. Despite this, Monero remains actively used and traded, particularly for transactions on the darknet."

[Kavelj22]

Telegram platform is not the only one that provides a high level of privacy for users, but it is the most popular and widely used worldwide.

What I do not understand is why he suddenly chose to go to France as if he wanted to face these charges himself at the same time that a defense committee could have represented him, and he is a billionaire who does not need to be in this position. We all know that these charges are malicious and their main goal is to pressure to change the platform's policies and it has nothing to do with whether the person is actually a terrorist or corrupt.

As for the Russian demand to France to liberate him, we can understand it within the framework of political reactions since France granted citizenship to Pavel after his country, Russia, imposed restrictions on him, and Russia is now pretending to stand by him on the grounds that he is a Russian citizen, and secondly because the Telegram application, with its anti-Western tracking policies, is a winning point for Russia since the West is harmed by them.

Pavel enjoys global popularity and I hope that things do not end up turning Telegram into a means of tracking its users.

[Majestic-milf]

I just read an article and it said that he was arrested for not censoring contents on his apps - does that relates to speech or illegal dealings?

I feel it's more for the fact that it "permits" illegal dealings and the sale of illicit drugs that the owner, Pavel got arrested. He's being detained in France as part of a judicial inquiry that involves 12 alleged criminal violations that includes drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information to the law when necessary.

People like us who just use telegram to join channels to get information  won’t be too bothered about news like this.  

Of course. Although it's still good to know about this.

[mich]

And now there is industry leaders that is saying this man needs to be released. That includes Edward Snowden, Elon Musk, and Vitalik Buterin.
They do think it is not fair he was arrested and can not have free speech. I do hope this man is released this week after he is being question for a few days in France. 
https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/edward-snowden-elon-musk-industry-leaders-reaction-telegram-founder-pavel-durov-arrest-19465563.htm

[Rikafip]

Out of curiosity, who exactly did you quote? I noticed you put quotation marks at the beginning and end of your post.

I do hope this man is released this week after he is being question for a few days in France. 
https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/edward-snowden-elon-musk-industry-leaders-reaction-telegram-founder-pavel-durov-arrest-19465563.htm

Durov has been released yesterday on $5 million bail.

Source https://www.politico.eu/article/france-charges-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-released-bail/