Why Telegram Earned Russians’ Trust in Personal Data Protection

Both sides now rely heavily on the Telegram app since Russia invaded Ukraine. It has aided refugees in finding information about services and aid, and it has allowed regular people to share pictures and videos of the atrocities of war. Telegram has been utilized by media and military officials to disseminate updates and information.

In 2013, two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov, founded Telegram. Telegram was founded in Russia, although it is currently operated out of Dubai. By default, Telegram communications are not completely encrypted, which allows businesses to read the content or be compelled to provide information upon government order.

Based on data from Russian mobile operator Megafon, the Russian government restricted a number of websites from the United States and its allies during the Russia-Ukraine crisis and stepped up its monitoring of global websites and platforms. During this time, their primary service was Telegram.

In 2023, Telegram, a private messaging app, overtook its American competitor WhatsApp in terms of traffic volume in Russia. According to an article published in the Vedomosti Business Daily that year, analysts forecast that the Russian-made messenger will overtake its Meta-owned rival in terms of users that year as well. Also, Telegram was responsible for 60–80% of all traffic in Russia at the start of 2023 and has been rapidly increasing ever since.

The Russian government just convicted Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, guilty of engaging in “extremist activities” in the country. The Russian government has already banned Facebook and Instagram. The court claimed in a press release that Meta neglected to confront “Russophobia” during the time the nation was involved in a conflict with Ukraine, according to a Russian article.

A statement from Megafon claims that despite limitations on other social media and messaging apps, Telegram’s user base has increased dramatically. Telegram’s stock also had a 48 percent spike in the first two weeks of February and a 63 percent increase in the first two weeks of March 2023.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp’s market share dropped from 48% to 32%. An average user of WhatsApp utilized 26 MB of data, compared to 101 MB for Telegram, according to the report.

Nearly every prominent government organization, media outlet, and celebrity has its own Telegram content channel. Russia has been greatly impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started in 2014 and resulted in the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. To date, this invasion has left Ukraine in ruins and claimed thousands of lives.

There are two camps throughout the world as a result of this geopolitical issue. The prices of necessities and commonplace items are rising as a result, impacting markets and businesses.

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