The ban on the message application 'Telegram' that Russia had banned for two years

by Yuri Samoilov

The Russian Federation for Communications, Information Technology and Media Sector has lifted the ban on the message application ' Telegram '. The Ministry has issued an order banning the use of Telegram for approximately two years from April 2018.

Russia'Unblocks' Telegram Messenger in Surprise Reversal-The Moscow Times
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/06/18/russia-unblocks-telegram-messenger-in-surprise-reversal-a70620

Telegram: Russia lifts ban on private messaging app after it'agrees to help with extremism investigations' | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/telegram-russia-ban-lift-messaging-app-encryption-download-a9573181.html

Russia lifts ban on Telegram messaging app after failing to block it-Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-telegram-ban/russia-lifts-ban-on-telegram-messaging-app-after-failing-to-block-it-idUSKBN23P2FT

Russia lifts its ban on the Telegram messenger app-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/18/21295535/russia-telegram-ban-lifted-security/

Telegram is an instant message system that allows you to send and receive messages while maintaining privacy by encrypting communications. One of the features is that you can send and receive all file formats including voice memos, photos and videos.

Such Telegram has been banned by the Russian Federation Communications, Information Technology and Media Sector Supervision Agency since April 2018. This ban is due to the problem that 'a highly anonymous Telegram has been used by many terrorists.' Two suspects who were supposed to have executed the bombing terrorist attacks in St. Petersburg underground in 2017 were also using Telegram to make operations. After this incident, the Russian Federation Security Agency asked Apple to remove Telegram from the App Store. On the other hand, we were developing a tool that intercepts Telegram encryption and intercepts private communications.

Russia requests Apple to remove high security messenger application ``Telegram'' from App Store-GIGAZINE

However, the ban had little effect and only caused trouble. This ban hampered Russian companies as a result of Internet service providers blocking 15.8 million IPs on Amazon Web Services and Google cloud platforms, but many users evade such restrictions in Telegram. Continued to use. In fact, government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Russian Government's official Coronavirus Task Force had official Telegram channels, despite the ban being issued.

Then, on June 18, 2020, the Russian Federation Communications, Information Technology and Media Sectoral Authority announced that it would lift Telegram's ban. ``We have significantly improved our tools to find and remove extremist content without affecting user privacy,'' Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in early June. Telegram has shown its stance against terrorism and extremism.' The ministry stated in a statement, 'By agreement with the Russian Prosecutor's Office, the ban on restricting access to Telegram Messenger will be lifted.'