Controversial changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy back in 2021 was a major shot in the arm for Telegram, as millions of users began searching for a more secure messaging platform. Indeed, Telegram is so confident in its resistance to hacks that it’s previously set challenges (with a prize of up to $300,000) to any user who’s able to crack its encryption.
With protected ‘secret chats’ and self-deleting messages, however, Telegram’s security advantage has also been subverted by criminals using the app to trade stolen data, share child sexual exploitation material and arrange drug deals. As Telegram’s popularity continues to grow, our NOS #WakeUpWednesday guide tells trusted adults what they need to be aware of.
In the words of influential tech publication Wired, Telegram “exercises virtually no content moderation”. It’s a particularly troubling assessment in this sensitive era when messaging and social media platforms are increasingly (and rightly) being held to account for their policies on tackling online hate speech and misinformation.
Regrettably for Telegram, it’s occasionally been cited in the media as the communications app of choice for several groups with extreme political views – including white supremacist and far-right organisations in the US and UK, and the terrorist cell which carried out attacks in Paris in 2015. Our NOS #WakeUpWednesday guide profiles this powerful, popular and often divisive app.
