Russian wants to block Telegram messaging app
According to neowin reports, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has already filed a case against Dubai-based instant messaging company Telegram Messenger LLP on the grounds that the company did not hand over their encryption keys. In the lawsuit filed in Moscow on Friday, the regulator put forward their request to limit Telegram’s use of information resources in Russia. Roskomnadzor has cited a request from the Russian Federal Security Service (the FSB is the country’s premier security agency) that the encryption key for the app is needed to decrypt the encrypted information within the app.
By Telegram Messenger LLP (Javitomad) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Telegram is a twentieth-century active user and currently ranks 9th in the world for similar apps. Because of the end-to-end encryption of messages, it is very popular in Russia and the Middle East.
Unfortunately, this feature also makes it abused by many people with ulterior motives, such as terrorists and people sharing child pornography.
As for the refusal to hand over the encryption key, the explanation given by the company is similar to that of Apple, who refused to unlock the iPhone. Based on the way the app was constructed, we cannot access the encryption key.
