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Russian authorities ask Apple and APK Mirror to block Telegram app downloads

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Apr 17, 2018, 6:16 AM

Russian authorities ask Apple and APK Mirror to block Telegram app downloads

Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov's Telegram encrypted messaging service is in hot water again, this time in Russia itself. After gaining some notoriety as the go-to communication channel for ISIS jihadists or child pornography aficionados, it has since tried to clear its image by banning their channels and chat groups.

Such efforts apparently don't fly with the Russian authorities, as they threatened to ban the app there if the company doesn't give them access to encrypted communication, and then followed through. They didn't end at it, though, as both the App Store, and APK Mirror, have reportedly received requests to block the app for users, presumably in the home turf. Telegram is appealing the ban in court, but, you know, it's like appealing an NSA request to hand over data on national security grounds, and might be an exercise in futility.

.@durov @telegram The Russian government just told us (@APKMirror) to stop serving @telegram Android APKs to users in Russia.

Any thoughts on that?

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:-/
— APK Mirror (@APKMirror) 16 април 2018 г.

Russian law requires that authorities have access to the encryption keys of such secured communication services, and Telegram, as originating from Russia, might fall under particular scrutiny in that regard, though there are plenty of other encrypted chat messengers that can be used instead. The kicker is, however, that VPN usage can circumvent such bans, so the Russian digital media watchdog banned almost 2 million Amazon and Google IP address that were used to run Telegram around the block, resulting in messed up business operations for other services using them.

So, Telegram is officially banned in Russia now. To enforce this ban our government blocked over 2 million ip addresses today, mainly from Amazon AWS and Google subnets.
What a time to be alive.
— Rannor Medved (@rannor_ru) 16 април 2018 г.

source: Reuters & APKMirror

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.