<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
is	O
a	O
globally	O
accessible	O
freemium	B-License
,	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
,	O
encrypted	O
,	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
and	O
centralized	B-General_Concept
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
application	O
also	O
provides	O
optional	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
(	O
popularly	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
secret	O
"	O
)	O
chats	O
and	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
,	O
VoIP	B-Application
,	O
file	O
sharing	O
and	O
several	O
other	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
launched	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
on	O
14	O
August	O
2013	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
on	O
20	O
October	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
servers	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
are	O
distributed	O
worldwide	O
with	O
five	O
data	B-Operating_System
centers	I-Operating_System
in	O
different	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
operational	O
center	O
is	O
based	O
in	O
Dubai	O
,	O
United	O
Arab	O
Emirates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
client	B-Operating_System
apps	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
Smart	B-Device
TV	I-Device
,	O
desktop	O
and	O
mobile	O
platforms	O
including	O
official	O
apps	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
(	O
although	O
registration	O
requires	O
an	O
iOS	B-Application
or	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
and	O
a	O
working	O
phone	O
number	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
two	O
official	O
Telegram	B-Application
web	O
twin	O
apps	O
,	O
WebK	O
and	O
WebZ	O
,	O
and	O
numerous	O
unofficial	O
clients	B-Protocol
that	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
official	O
components	O
are	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
the	O
server	B-Application
which	O
is	O
closed-sourced	O
and	O
proprietary	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
provides	O
optional	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
chats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	O
chats	O
and	O
groups	O
are	O
encrypted	O
between	O
the	O
client	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
server	B-Application
,	O
so	O
that	O
ISPs	O
and	O
other	O
third-parties	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
cannot	O
access	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
send	O
text	O
and	O
voice	O
messages	O
,	O
make	O
voice	O
and	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
,	O
and	O
share	O
an	O
unlimited	O
number	O
of	O
images	O
,	O
documents	O
(	O
2	O
GB	O
per	O
file	O
)	O
,	O
user	O
locations	O
,	O
animated	O
stickers	O
,	O
contacts	O
,	O
and	O
audio	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
surpassed	O
500	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Research	O
suggests	O
that	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
surge	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
was	O
driven	O
partly	O
by	O
the	O
deplatforming	B-Application
of	O
Parler	B-Application
by	O
big-tech	O
firms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
surpassed	O
700	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
Premium	O
,	O
an	O
optional	O
paid	O
subscription	O
with	O
several	O
extra	O
features	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
overtaken	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
to	O
become	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
application	O
in	O
Belarus	O
,	O
Moldova	O
,	O
Jordan	O
,	O
Armenia	O
,	O
Azerbaijan	O
,	O
Kazakhstan	O
,	O
Kyrgyzstan	O
,	O
Cambodia	O
,	O
Ethiopia	O
,	O
Russia	O
,	O
and	O
Ukraine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2013	O
by	O
the	O
brothers	O
Nikolai	O
and	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nikolai	O
Durov	O
created	O
the	O
MTProto	O
protocol	O
that	O
is	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
the	O
messenger	B-Protocol
,	O
while	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
provided	O
financial	O
support	O
and	O
infrastructure	O
through	O
his	O
Digital	O
Fortress	O
fund	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
states	O
that	O
its	O
end	O
goal	O
is	O
not	O
to	O
bring	O
profit	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
structured	O
as	O
a	O
non-profit	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
is	O
registered	O
as	O
a	O
company	O
in	O
the	O
British	O
Virgin	O
Islands	O
and	O
as	O
an	O
LLC	O
in	O
Dubai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
a	O
former	O
employee	O
of	O
VK	O
claimed	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
had	O
employees	O
in	O
Saint	O
Petersburg	O
,	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
team	O
made	O
Berlin	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
its	O
headquarters	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
but	O
failed	O
to	O
obtain	O
German	O
residence	O
permits	O
for	O
everyone	O
on	O
the	O
team	O
and	O
moved	O
to	O
other	O
jurisdictions	O
in	O
early	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
apps	I-Application
receive	O
monthly	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
100,000	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
24	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
reached	O
35	O
million	O
monthly	O
users	O
and	O
15	O
million	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
South	O
Korean	O
governmental	O
surveillance	O
plans	O
drove	O
many	O
of	O
its	O
citizens	O
to	O
switch	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2014	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
50	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
generating	O
1	O
billion	O
daily	O
messages	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
1	O
million	O
new	O
users	O
signing	O
up	O
on	O
its	O
service	O
every	O
week	O
,	O
traffic	O
doubled	O
in	O
five	O
months	O
with	O
2	O
billion	O
daily	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
the	O
app	O
had	O
60	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
and	O
delivered	O
12	O
billion	O
daily	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2016	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
100	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
with	O
350,000	O
new	O
users	O
signing	O
up	O
every	O
day	O
,	O
delivering	O
15	O
billion	O
messages	O
daily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
reached	O
180	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
reached	O
200	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
claimed	O
that	O
"	O
3	O
million	O
new	O
users	O
signed	O
up	O
for	O
Telegram	B-Application
within	O
the	O
last	O
24	O
hours.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Durov	O
did	O
not	O
specify	O
what	O
prompted	O
this	O
flood	O
of	O
new	O
sign-ups	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
period	O
matched	O
a	O
prolonged	O
technical	O
outage	O
experienced	O
by	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
its	O
family	O
of	O
apps	O
,	O
including	O
Instagram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Securities	O
and	O
Exchange	O
Commission	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
monthly	O
Telegram	B-Application
users	O
as	O
of	O
October	O
2019	O
is	O
300	O
million	O
people	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
24	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
reached	O
400	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
8	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Durov	O
announced	O
in	O
a	O
blog	O
post	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
had	O
reached	O
"	O
about	O
500	O
million	O
"	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
TechCrunch	O
reported	O
that	O
India	O
was	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
largest	O
market	O
with	O
a	O
22%	O
share	O
of	O
total	O
installs	O
coming	O
from	O
the	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
gained	O
over	O
70	O
million	O
new	O
users	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
an	O
outage	O
which	O
affected	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
its	O
affiliates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
21	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
usage	O
share	O
jumped	O
to	O
63%	O
,	O
overtaking	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
usage	O
share	O
of	O
32%	O
to	O
become	O
Russia	O
's	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	O
tool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
June	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
reached	O
700	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
accounts	O
are	O
usually	O
tied	O
to	O
telephone	O
numbers	O
which	O
are	O
verified	O
by	O
SMS	O
or	O
phone	O
call	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
an	O
update	O
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
sign	O
up	O
without	O
a	O
phone	O
number	O
and	O
instead	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
+888	O
number	O
purchased	O
on	O
the	O
Fragment	O
platform	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
TON	B-Language
wallet	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Account	O
creation	O
requires	O
an	O
iOS	B-Application
or	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
regardless	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
accounts	O
can	O
be	O
deleted	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
and	O
they	O
are	O
deleted	O
automatically	O
after	O
six	O
months	O
of	O
inactivity	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
optionally	O
be	O
changed	O
from	O
1	O
month	O
at	O
the	O
shortest	O
up	O
to	O
12	O
months	O
at	O
most	O
with	O
a	O
range	O
between	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
default	O
method	O
of	O
authentication	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
uses	O
for	O
logins	B-General_Concept
is	O
SMS-based	O
single-factor	O
authentication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2022	O
Telegram	B-Application
began	O
testing	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
select	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
receive	O
their	O
one-time	O
code	O
via	O
email	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
testing	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
Sign	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
with	I-General_Concept
Apple	I-General_Concept
and	O
Sign	O
in	O
with	O
Google	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
allows	O
groups	O
,	O
bots	B-Protocol
and	O
channels	O
with	O
a	O
verified	O
social	O
media	O
or	O
Wikipedia	O
page	O
to	O
be	O
verified	O
but	O
not	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accounts	O
of	O
users	O
who	O
purchased	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
Premium	O
subscription	O
are	O
marked	O
with	O
a	O
star	O
emoji	B-Application
,	O
which	O
the	O
users	O
can	O
change	O
to	O
any	O
emoji	B-Application
of	O
their	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
default	O
messages	O
are	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
and	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
on	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
connected	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
can	O
react	O
to	O
messages	O
,	O
choosing	O
from	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
offers	O
drafts	O
which	O
sync	O
across	O
user	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
when	O
a	O
user	O
starts	O
typing	O
a	O
message	O
on	O
one	O
device	O
and	O
can	O
later	O
continue	O
on	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
also	O
import	O
chat	O
history	O
,	O
including	O
both	O
messages	O
and	O
media	O
,	O
from	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
Line	B-Application
and	O
Kakaotalk	B-Protocol
due	O
to	O
data	B-Application
portability	I-Application
,	O
either	O
making	O
a	O
new	O
chat	O
to	O
hold	O
the	O
messages	O
or	O
adding	O
them	O
to	O
an	O
existing	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
transmission	O
of	O
cloud	O
messages	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
servers	O
is	O
encrypted	O
with	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
MTProto	O
protocol	O
,	O
while	O
'	O
Secret	O
Chats	O
 '	O
use	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
privacy	O
policy	O
,	O
"	O
all	O
data	O
is	O
stored	O
heavily	O
encrypted	O
and	O
the	O
encryption	O
keys	O
in	O
each	O
case	O
are	O
stored	O
in	O
several	O
other	O
data	B-Operating_System
centers	I-Operating_System
in	O
different	O
jurisdictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
local	O
message	O
database	O
is	O
not	O
encrypted	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Telegram	B-Application
clients	B-Protocol
allow	O
users	O
to	O
encrypt	O
the	O
local	O
message	O
database	O
by	O
setting	O
a	O
passphrase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
users	O
can	O
share	O
their	O
live	O
location	O
in	O
a	O
chat	O
for	O
either	O
15	O
minutes	O
,	O
one	O
hour	O
,	O
or	O
eight	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messages	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
sent	O
with	O
client-to-client	O
encryption	O
in	O
so-called	O
secret	O
chats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
messages	O
,	O
messages	O
sent	O
within	O
a	O
secret	O
chat	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
only	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
upon	O
which	O
the	O
secret	O
chat	O
was	O
initiated	O
and	O
the	O
device	O
upon	O
which	O
the	O
secret	O
chat	O
was	O
accepted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
in	O
a	O
secret	O
chat	O
can	O
verify	O
that	O
no	O
man-in-the-middle	O
attack	O
has	O
occurred	O
by	O
comparing	O
pictures	O
that	O
visualize	O
their	O
public	B-Algorithm
key	I-Algorithm
fingerprints	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
secret	O
chats	O
have	O
supported	O
perfect	O
forward	O
secrecy	O
since	O
December	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Secret	O
Chats	O
are	O
available	O
only	O
on	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
clients	B-Protocol
of	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
added	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Bloomberg	O
News	O
moved	O
their	O
messenger-based	O
newsletter	O
service	O
from	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
after	O
the	O
former	O
banned	O
bulk	O
and	O
automated	O
messaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
introduced	O
its	O
own	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
voice	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connection	O
is	O
established	O
as	O
peer-to-peer	O
whenever	O
possible	O
,	O
otherwise	O
the	O
closest	O
server	B-Application
to	O
the	O
client	B-Operating_System
is	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
neural	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
working	O
to	O
learn	O
various	O
technical	O
parameters	O
about	O
a	O
call	O
to	O
provide	O
better	O
quality	O
of	O
service	O
for	O
future	O
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
added	O
group	O
voice	O
chats	O
in	O
December	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Members	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
Raise	O
Hand	O
button	O
to	O
signal	B-Application
their	O
desire	O
to	O
speak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
push-to-talk	O
option	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
mobile	O
versions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
key	O
shortcuts	O
to	O
mute	O
and	O
unmute	O
oneself	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
Desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
in	O
April	O
2020	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
include	O
group	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
15	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
added	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
with	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
implemented	O
group	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
across	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
clients	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
1000	O
people	O
to	O
watch	O
the	O
streamed	O
video	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Livestreams	O
support	O
unlimited	O
participants	O
and	O
third-party	O
streaming	O
software	O
such	O
as	O
OBS	B-Language
Studio	I-Language
and	O
XSplit	B-Application
,	O
supporting	O
custom	O
interfaces	O
and	O
overlays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
bots	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bots	B-Protocol
are	O
Telegram	B-Application
accounts	O
operated	O
by	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
can	O
respond	O
to	O
messages	O
or	O
mentions	B-Application
,	O
can	O
be	O
invited	O
into	O
groups	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
integrated	O
with	O
other	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bots	B-Protocol
can	O
also	O
accept	O
online	O
payments	O
made	O
with	O
credit	O
cards	O
or	O
Apple	B-Application
Pay	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Dutch	O
website	O
Tweakers	O
reported	O
that	O
an	O
invited	O
bot	B-Protocol
can	O
potentially	O
read	O
all	O
group	O
messages	O
when	O
the	O
bot	B-Protocol
controller	O
changes	O
the	O
access	O
settings	O
silently	O
at	O
a	O
later	O
point	O
in	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
it	O
considered	O
implementing	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
would	O
announce	O
such	O
a	O
status	O
change	O
within	O
the	O
relevant	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
inline	O
bots	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
from	O
any	O
chat	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
activate	O
an	O
inline	O
bot	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
user	O
must	O
type	O
the	O
bot	B-Protocol
's	O
username	O
and	O
a	O
query	O
in	O
the	O
message	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
bot	B-Protocol
then	O
will	O
offer	O
its	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bots	B-Protocol
can	O
also	O
handle	O
transactions	O
provided	O
by	O
Paymentwall	O
,	O
Yandex.Money	O
,	O
Stripe	B-Application
,	O
Ravepay	O
,	O
Razorpay	O
,	O
QiWi	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Pay	I-Application
for	O
different	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bots	B-Protocol
also	O
power	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
gaming	O
platform	O
,	O
which	O
utilizes	O
HTML5	O
,	O
so	O
games	O
are	O
loaded	O
on-demand	O
as	O
needed	O
,	O
like	O
ordinary	O
webpages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
work	O
on	O
iPhones	B-Device
4	O
and	O
newer	O
and	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
4.4	O
devices	O
and	O
newer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
can	O
use	O
Internet	B-Operating_System
Of	I-Operating_System
Things	I-Operating_System
(	O
IoT	B-Operating_System
)	O
services	O
with	O
two-ways	O
interaction	O
for	O
IFTTT	B-Application
implemented	O
within	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Payments	O
2.0	O
upgrade	O
enabled	O
bot	B-Protocol
payments	O
within	O
any	O
chat	O
,	O
using	O
third-party	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Sberbank	O
,	O
Tranzoo	O
,	O
Payme	O
,	O
CLICK	O
,	O
LiqPay	O
and	O
ECOMMPAY	O
to	O
process	O
the	O
credit	O
card	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2018	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
launched	O
their	O
social	O
login	B-General_Concept
feature	O
to	O
its	O
users	O
,	O
named	O
Telegram	B-Application
Login	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
a	O
website	O
widget	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
embedded	O
into	O
websites	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
sign	O
into	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
website	O
with	O
their	O
Telegram	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gateway	O
sends	O
users	O
 '	O
Telegram	B-Application
name	O
,	O
username	O
,	O
and	O
profile	O
picture	O
to	O
the	O
website	O
owner	O
,	O
while	O
users	O
 '	O
phone	O
number	O
remains	O
hidden	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gateway	O
is	O
integrated	O
with	O
a	O
bot	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
is	O
linked	O
with	O
the	O
developer	O
's	O
specific	O
website	O
domain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
widget	O
in	O
place	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
users	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
log	O
in	O
with	O
just	O
two	O
taps	O
and	O
leave	O
comments	O
with	O
text	O
and	O
photos	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
like	O
,	O
dislike	O
and	O
reply	O
to	O
comments	O
from	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
an	O
update	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
bot	B-Protocol
menu	O
where	O
users	O
can	O
browse	O
and	O
send	O
commands	O
while	O
in	O
a	O
chat	O
with	O
a	O
bot	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
bots	B-Protocol
gained	O
support	O
for	O
customized	O
interfaces	O
and	O
inline	O
page	O
loading	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Instant	O
View	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
users	O
can	O
read	O
articles	O
from	O
mass	O
media	O
or	O
blogs	O
in	O
a	O
uniform	O
and	O
readable	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
top	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
Instant	O
View	O
pages	O
are	O
extremely	O
lightweight	O
and	O
cached	O
on	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
servers	O
,	O
so	O
they	O
load	O
instantly	O
on	O
pretty	O
much	O
any	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
more	O
than	O
20,000	O
stickers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stickers	O
are	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
,	O
high-resolution	O
images	O
intended	O
to	O
provide	O
more	O
expressive	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
typing	O
in	O
an	O
emoji	B-Application
,	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
offered	O
to	O
send	O
the	O
respective	O
sticker	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stickers	O
come	O
in	O
collections	O
called	O
"	O
packs	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
multiple	O
stickers	O
can	O
be	O
offered	O
for	O
one	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
comes	O
with	O
one	O
default	O
sticker	O
pack	O
,	O
but	O
users	O
can	O
install	O
additional	O
sticker	O
packs	O
provided	O
by	O
third-party	O
contributors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sticker	O
sets	O
installed	O
from	O
one	O
client	B-Operating_System
become	O
automatically	O
available	O
to	O
all	O
other	O
clients	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Telegram	B-Application
clients	B-Protocol
also	O
support	O
animated	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
video	O
stickers	O
were	O
added	O
,	O
which	O
use	O
the	O
WebM	B-Application
file	O
format	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
feature	O
any	O
software	O
requirements	O
to	O
create	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
given	O
free	O
users	O
access	O
to	O
dozens	O
of	O
reactions	O
,	O
even	O
some	O
that	O
were	O
only	O
previously	O
available	O
to	O
Premium	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
introduced	O
their	O
online	O
authorisation	O
and	O
identity	O
management	O
system	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
Passport	O
,	O
for	O
platforms	O
that	O
require	O
real-life	O
identification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
data	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
platform	O
will	O
share	O
the	O
information	O
only	O
with	O
the	O
authorised	O
recipient	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polls	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
desktop	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quiz	O
bots	B-Protocol
can	O
also	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
track	O
correct	O
answers	O
and	O
even	O
provide	O
a	O
global	O
leaderboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
custom	O
build	O
symmetric	B-Algorithm
encryption	I-Algorithm
scheme	O
called	O
MTProto	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protocol	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Nikolai	O
Durov	O
and	O
other	O
developers	O
at	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
256-bit	O
symmetric	O
AES	B-Algorithm
encryption	I-Algorithm
,	O
2048-bit	O
RSA	B-Architecture
encryption	I-Architecture
and	O
Diffie	B-Protocol
–	I-Protocol
Hellman	I-Protocol
key	I-Protocol
exchange	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
most	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
protocols	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
uses	O
centralized	B-General_Concept
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
LLP	I-Application
has	O
servers	O
in	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
countries	O
throughout	O
the	O
world	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
response	O
time	O
of	O
their	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
server-side	O
software	O
is	O
closed-source	B-Application
and	O
proprietary	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pavel	O
Durov	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
require	O
a	O
major	O
architectural	O
redesign	O
of	O
the	O
server-side	O
software	O
to	O
connect	O
independent	O
servers	O
to	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
cloud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
various	O
client	B-Operating_System
apps	O
,	O
some	O
developed	O
by	O
Telegram	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
LLP	I-Application
and	O
some	O
by	O
the	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
them	O
are	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
and	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
General	I-License
Public	I-License
Licence	I-License
or	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
official	O
clients	B-Protocol
support	O
sending	O
any	O
file	O
format	O
extensions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
team	O
announced	O
a	O
direct	O
build	O
of	O
its	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
for	O
Android	B-Application
is	O
available	O
directly	O
from	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
automatically	O
updated	O
and	O
will	O
most	O
likely	O
get	O
new	O
versions	O
faster	O
than	O
the	O
apps	O
in	O
the	O
Play	O
Store	O
and	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
distinctive	O
feature	O
of	O
this	O
version	O
is	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
view	O
channels/groups	O
on	O
a	O
specific	O
topic	O
without	O
censorship	O
,	O
which	O
cannot	O
be	O
viewed	O
from	O
an	O
app	O
distributed	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
or	O
the	O
Apple	O
Store	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
policies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Name	O
Platform(s )	O
Official	O
Source	O
code	O
license	O
Support	O
for	O
secret	O
chats	O
Notes	O
Telegram	B-Application
Android	B-Application
Supports	O
tablets	B-Device
and	O
Android	B-Application
Wear	I-Application
smart	B-Device
watches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
iOS	B-Application
and	O
iPadOS	B-Operating_System
Launched	O
in	O
August	O
2013	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
and	O
relaunched	O
in	O
July	O
2014	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
iPad	B-Device
and	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
longer	O
compatible	O
with	O
watchOS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
X	I-Application
Android	B-Application
An	O
alternative	O
Telegram	B-Application
client	B-Operating_System
written	O
from	O
scratch	O
,	O
with	O
higher	O
speed	O
,	O
slicker	O
animations	O
,	O
themes	O
and	O
more	O
efficient	O
battery	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iOS	B-Application
version	O
is	O
written	O
with	O
Swift	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
version	O
based	O
on	O
TDLib	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
was	O
discontinued	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
code	O
merged	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
Telegram	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
Provide	O
synchronization	O
between	O
all	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Desktop	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
Qt-based	O
desktop	O
client	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
client	B-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
traditional	O
desktop	O
app	O
published	O
in	O
three	O
flavors	O
(	O
with	O
installer	O
,	O
portable	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	O
app	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
macOS	B-Application
Native	O
macOS	B-Application
client	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
WebK	O
/	O
WebZ	O
Web	O
Two	O
web-based	B-Application
versions	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
code	O
for	O
the	O
legacy	O
web	O
client	B-Operating_System
called	O
Webogram	O
is	O
available	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
version	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
public	O
APIs	B-Application
with	O
which	O
developers	O
can	O
access	O
the	O
same	O
functionality	O
as	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
official	O
apps	O
to	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
messaging	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2015	O
,	O
creators	O
of	O
the	O
unofficial	O
Whatsapp+	O
client	B-Operating_System
released	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
Plus	O
app	O
,	O
later	O
renamed	O
to	O
Plus	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
,	O
after	O
their	O
original	O
project	O
got	O
a	O
cease-and-desist	O
order	O
from	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
released	O
a	O
messaging	O
application	O
based	O
on	O
these	O
APIs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
also	O
offers	O
an	O
API	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
bots	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
are	O
accounts	O
controlled	O
by	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
bots	B-Protocol
are	O
used	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
to	O
emulate	O
and	O
play	O
old	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
app	O
and	O
inform	O
users	O
about	O
vaccine	O
availability	O
for	O
COVID-19	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
offers	O
functions	O
for	O
making	O
payments	O
directly	O
within	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
alongside	O
an	O
external	O
service	O
such	O
as	O
Stripe	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
shutdown	O
of	O
the	O
TON	B-Language
project	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
needed	O
to	O
repay	O
the	O
investors	O
the	O
money	O
that	O
was	O
not	O
spent	O
on	O
the	O
development	O
during	O
2018	O
and	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
2019	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
active	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
15	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
conducted	O
a	O
five-year	O
public	O
bonds	O
placement	O
worth	O
$1	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
23	O
March	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
also	O
sold	O
additional	O
bonds	O
worth	O
$150	O
million	O
to	O
the	O
Abu	O
Dhabi	O
Mubadala	O
Investment	O
Company	O
and	O
Abu	O
Dhabi	O
Catalyst	O
Partners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
day	O
later	O
,	O
the	O
Mubadala	O
Investment	O
Company	O
stated	O
that	O
Russia	O
's	O
sovereign	O
wealth	O
fund	O
participated	O
in	O
its	O
deal	O
undisclosed	O
through	O
the	O
Russia-UAE	O
joint	O
investment	O
platform	O
to	O
buy	O
convertible	O
bonds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Telegram	B-Application
spokesperson	O
stated	O
:	O
"	O
RDIF	O
is	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
investors	O
we	O
sold	O
bonds	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
's	O
CEO	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
move	O
aimed	O
to	O
"	O
enable	O
Telegram	B-Application
to	O
continue	O
growing	O
globally	O
while	O
sticking	O
to	O
its	O
values	O
and	O
remaining	O
independent	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
will	O
never	O
serve	O
advertisements	O
in	O
private	O
chats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2020	O
,	O
Durov	O
announced	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
will	O
consider	O
adding	O
paid	O
features	O
aimed	O
at	O
enterprise	O
clients	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
10	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Durov	O
announced	O
via	O
his	O
official	O
channel	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
Premium	O
would	O
launch	O
later	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accounts	O
that	O
purchase	O
a	O
Premium	O
subscription	O
are	O
marked	O
with	O
a	O
purple	O
star	O
next	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
name	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
to	O
any	O
emoji	B-Application
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
Premium	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
19	O
June	O
2022	O
with	O
regional	O
pricing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
canceled	O
a	O
bot	B-Protocol
monetization	O
upgrade	O
program	O
,	O
because	O
Apple	O
demanded	O
a	O
cut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
monetize	O
Telegram	B-Application
without	O
advertising	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
began	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
blockchain	B-Application
platform	O
dubbed	O
either	O
"	O
The	B-Language
Open	I-Language
Network	I-Language
"	O
or	O
"	O
Telegram	B-Language
Open	I-Language
Network	I-Language
"	O
(	O
TON	B-Language
)	O
and	O
its	O
native	O
cryptocurrency	O
"	O
Gram	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
codebase	O
behind	O
TON	B-Language
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
's	O
brother	O
Nikolai	O
Durov	O
,	O
the	O
core	O
developer	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
MTProto	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
a	O
23-page	O
white	O
paper	O
and	O
a	O
detailed	O
132-page	O
technical	O
paper	O
for	O
TON	B-Language
blockchain	B-Application
became	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Durov	O
planned	O
to	O
power	O
TON	B-Language
with	O
the	O
existing	O
Telegram	B-Application
user	O
base	O
,	O
and	O
turn	O
it	O
into	O
the	O
largest	O
blockchain	B-Application
and	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
apps	O
and	O
services	O
akin	O
to	O
a	O
decentralized	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
,	O
and	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
,	O
the	O
TON	B-Language
had	O
the	O
potential	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
decentralized	O
alternative	O
to	O
Visa	O
and	O
MasterCard	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
scale	O
and	O
support	O
millions	O
of	O
transactions	O
per	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
public	O
offering	B-Application
took	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
TON	B-Language
took	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
completely	O
isolated	O
manner	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
release	O
was	O
postponed	O
several	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
TON	B-Language
main	O
network	O
was	O
scheduled	O
for	O
31	O
October	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
30	O
,	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Securities	O
and	O
Exchange	O
Commission	O
obtained	O
a	O
temporary	O
restrictive	O
order	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
Grams	O
to	O
initial	O
purchasers	O
;	O
the	O
regulator	O
considered	O
the	O
legal	O
scheme	O
employed	O
by	O
Telegram	B-Application
as	O
an	O
unregistered	O
securities	O
offering	B-Application
with	O
initial	O
buyers	O
acting	O
as	O
underwriters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
judge	O
hearing	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
v	O
.	O
SEC	O
case	O
,	O
P	O
.	O
Kevin	O
Castel	O
,	O
ultimately	O
agreed	O
with	O
the	O
SEC	O
's	O
argument	O
and	O
kept	O
the	O
restrictions	O
on	O
Gram	O
distribution	O
in	O
force	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ban	O
applied	O
to	O
non-U.S.-based	O
purchasers	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
because	O
Telegram	B-Application
could	O
n't	O
prevent	O
the	O
re-sale	O
of	O
Grams	O
to	O
U.S.	O
citizens	O
on	O
a	O
secondary	O
market	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
anonymity	O
of	O
users	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
key	O
features	O
of	O
TON	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
that	O
,	O
Durov	O
announced	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
active	O
involvement	O
with	O
TON	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
June	O
,	O
the	O
judge	O
approved	O
the	O
settlement	O
between	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
SEC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
bonds	O
offering	B-Application
to	O
cover	O
the	O
debt	O
and	O
fund	O
further	O
growth	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
been	O
used	O
for	O
illegal	O
activities	O
such	O
as	O
spreading	O
hate	O
messages	O
,	O
illegal	O
pornography	O
,	O
contact	O
between	O
criminals	O
and	O
trading	O
of	O
illegal	O
goods	O
and	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
drugs	O
,	O
contraband	O
and	O
stolen	O
personal	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Wired	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
"	O
exercises	O
virtually	O
no	O
content	O
moderation	O
,	O
except	O
to	O
take	O
down	O
illegal	O
pornography	O
and	O
calls	O
for	O
violence	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Iraq	O
and	O
Iran	O
,	O
the	O
Islamic	O
Revolutionary	O
Guard	O
Corps	O
has	O
used	O
groups	O
and	O
channels	O
for	O
doxing	B-Application
citizens	O
and	O
warmongering	O
propaganda	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
question	O
about	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
by	O
Islamic	O
State	O
of	O
Iraq	O
and	O
the	O
Levant	O
(	O
ISIS	O
)	O
,	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
stated	O
:	O
"	O
I	O
think	O
that	O
privacy	O
,	O
ultimately	O
,	O
and	O
our	O
right	O
for	O
privacy	O
is	O
more	O
important	O
than	O
our	O
fear	O
of	O
bad	O
things	O
happening	O
,	O
like	O
terrorism.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
ISIS	O
recommended	O
Telegram	B-Application
to	O
its	O
supporters	O
and	O
members	O
and	O
in	O
October	O
2015	O
they	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
double	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
followers	O
of	O
their	O
official	O
channel	O
to	O
9,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2015	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
blocked	O
78	O
public	O
channels	O
operated	O
by	O
ISIS	O
for	O
spreading	O
propaganda	O
and	O
mass	O
communication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
block	O
public	O
channels	O
and	O
bots	B-Protocol
that	O
are	O
related	O
to	O
terrorism	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
would	O
not	O
honor	O
"	O
politically-motivated	O
censorship	O
"	O
based	O
on	O
"	O
local	O
restrictions	O
on	O
freedom	O
of	O
speech	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
allowed	O
"	O
peaceful	O
expression	O
of	O
alternative	O
opinions.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
ISIS	O
's	O
usage	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
reignited	O
the	O
encryption	O
debate	O
and	O
encrypted	O
messaging	O
applications	O
faced	O
new	O
scrutiny	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
French	O
anti-terrorism	O
investigators	O
asserted	O
that	O
the	O
two	O
ISIS-directed	O
terrorists	O
who	O
murdered	O
a	O
priest	O
in	O
Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray	O
in	O
Normandy	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
and	O
videoed	O
the	O
murder	O
,	O
had	O
communicated	O
via	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
"	O
used	O
the	O
app	O
to	O
coordinate	O
their	O
plans	O
for	O
the	O
attack	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISIS	O
's	O
media	O
wing	O
subsequently	O
posted	O
a	O
video	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
showing	O
the	O
pair	O
pledging	O
allegiance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
CNN	B-Architecture
news	O
report	O
stated	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
had	O
"	O
become	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
preferred	O
means	O
of	O
communication	O
for	O
the	O
terror	O
group	O
ISIS	O
and	O
was	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
ISIS	O
cell	O
that	O
plotted	O
the	O
Paris	O
terror	O
attacks	O
in	O
November	O
"	O
after	O
the	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daily	O
Mirror	O
called	O
Telegram	B-Application
a	O
"	O
jihadi	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Russian	O
communications	O
regulator	O
Roskomnadzor	O
hinted	O
at	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
a	O
blocking	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
in	O
Russia	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
usage	O
by	O
terrorists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2017	O
,	O
Director	O
General	O
of	O
Application	O
and	O
Informatics	O
of	O
the	O
Indonesian	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Communication	O
and	O
Informatics	O
,	O
Semuel	O
Abrijani	O
Pangerapan	O
,	O
said	O
eleven	O
Telegram	B-Application
DNS	O
servers	O
were	O
blocked	O
because	O
many	O
channels	O
in	O
the	O
service	O
"	O
promoted	O
radicalism	O
,	O
terrorism	O
,	O
hatred	O
,	O
bomb	O
assembly	O
,	O
civil	O
attack	O
,	O
disturbing	O
images	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
propaganda	O
contrary	O
to	O
Indonesian	O
laws	O
and	O
regulations.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
Indonesia	O
lifted	O
the	O
block	O
after	O
countermeasures	O
against	O
negative	O
content	O
were	O
deployed	O
in	O
association	O
with	O
Telegram	B-Application
LLP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
participated	O
in	O
Europol	O
's	O
Internet	O
Referral	O
Action	O
Day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
expanded	O
and	O
strengthened	O
its	O
terrorist	O
content	O
detection	O
and	O
removal	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
43,000	O
terrorist-related	O
bots	B-Protocol
and	O
channels	O
were	O
removed	O
from	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
U.S.	O
officials	O
,	O
the	O
crackdown	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
especially	O
effective	O
and	O
seems	O
to	O
be	O
having	O
lasting	O
impact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Europol	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
put	O
forth	O
considerable	O
effort	O
in	O
removing	O
abusers	O
of	O
its	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Anti-Defamation	O
League	O
has	O
called	O
Telegram	B-Application
a	O
white	O
supremacist	O
"	O
safe	O
haven	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
valuable	O
tool	O
for	O
right-wing	O
extremists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miro	O
Dittrich	O
,	O
a	O
senior	O
researcher	O
for	O
the	O
Center	O
for	O
Monitoring	O
,	O
Analysis	O
and	O
Strategy	O
(	O
CeMAS	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
German	O
extremism	O
monitoring	O
agency	O
,	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
been	O
critical	O
for	O
the	O
far-right	O
scene	O
in	O
Germany	O
ever	O
since	O
the	O
Identitarian	O
movement	O
migrated	O
there	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
having	O
been	O
kicked	O
off	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Instagram.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
neo-Nazi	O
white	O
separatist	O
paramilitary	O
hate	O
group	O
The	O
Base	O
switched	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
after	O
being	O
blocked	O
on	O
most	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
Twitter	O
,	O
YouTube	O
and	O
Gab	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
arrests	O
of	O
The	O
Base	O
members	O
in	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
note	O
appeared	O
on	O
its	O
official	O
Telegram	B-Application
account	O
warning	O
people	O
to	O
stop	O
posting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
white	O
supremacist	O
Christopher	O
Cantwell	O
posted	O
anti-Semitic	O
comments	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Anti-Defamation	O
League	O
notes	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
two	O
Russian	O
brothers	O
who	O
founded	O
VKontakte	O
(	O
VK	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
known	O
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
moderation	O
when	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
white	O
supremacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
prohibit	O
the	O
promotion	O
of	O
violence	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
allowed	O
violent	O
videos	O
posted	O
by	O
mass	O
shooters	O
Brenton	O
Tarrant	O
(	O
Christchurch	O
,	O
New	O
Zealand	O
)	O
and	O
Stephan	O
Balliet	O
(	O
Halle	O
,	O
Germany	O
)	O
,	O
although	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
had	O
removed	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
also	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
alt-right	O
organization	O
Proud	O
Boys	O
to	O
coordinate	O
throughout	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
platforms	O
for	O
far-right	O
publication	O
TR.news	O
,	O
maintained	O
by	O
Tommy	O
Robinson	O
,	O
and	O
Britain	O
First	O
,	O
whose	O
pages	O
were	O
blocked	O
by	O
major	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weblinks	O
related	O
to	O
these	O
channels	O
received	O
more	O
views	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
in	O
2018	O
and	O
2019	O
than	O
some	O
well-known	O
mainstream	O
news	O
outlets	O
,	O
including	O
The	O
Guardian	O
or	O
the	O
Daily	O
Mail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
relatively	O
small	O
user	O
base	O
and	O
no	O
algorithmic	O
timeline	O
,	O
such	O
groups	O
struggle	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
larger	O
audience	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
said	O
that	O
it	O
blocked	O
"	O
hundreds	O
"	O
of	O
neo-Nazi	O
and	O
white	O
supremacist	O
channels	O
with	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
followers	O
for	O
inciting	O
violence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
27	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
U.S.	O
House	O
of	O
Representatives	O
select	O
committee	O
investigating	O
the	O
2021	O
United	O
States	O
Capitol	O
attack	O
demanded	O
records	O
from	O
Telegram	B-Application
(	O
alongside	O
14	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
companies	O
)	O
going	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
spring	O
of	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
British	O
anti-disinformation	O
organization	O
Logically	O
reported	O
that	O
Holocaust	O
denial	O
,	O
neo-Nazism	O
and	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
hate	O
speech	O
were	O
flourishing	O
on	O
the	O
Discord	B-Application
and	O
Telegram	B-Application
groups	O
for	O
the	O
German	O
website	O
Disclose.tv	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
internal	O
reporting	O
system	O
has	O
an	O
option	O
to	O
report	O
content	O
that	O
contains	O
'	O
Child	O
Abuse	O
 '	O
,	O
including	O
specific	O
messages	O
in	O
groups	O
and	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
North	O
Macedonian	O
media	O
outlets	O
reported	O
that	O
a	O
now-banned	O
Telegram	B-Application
group	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
7,000	O
members	O
,	O
titled	O
"	O
Public	O
Room	O
"	O
(	O
"	O
Јавна	O
соба	O
"	O
)	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
share	O
nude	O
photos	O
of	O
women	O
,	O
often	O
young	O
teenage	O
girls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
President	O
of	O
North	O
Macedonia	O
Stevo	O
Pendarovski	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
Prime	O
Minister	O
of	O
North	O
Macedonia	O
Zoran	O
Zaev	O
,	O
demanded	O
an	O
immediate	O
reaction	O
from	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
threatened	O
to	O
completely	O
restrict	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
app	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
if	O
no	O
actions	O
were	O
taken	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
a	O
bot	B-Protocol
was	O
found	O
selling	O
leaked	O
phone	O
numbers	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
chairman	O
of	O
the	O
public	O
organization	O
"	O
Electronic	O
Democracy	O
"	O
Volodymyr	O
Flents	O
on	O
11	O
May	O
2020	O
announced	O
that	O
a	O
Telegram	B-Application
bot	B-Protocol
appeared	O
on	O
the	O
Web	O
,	O
which	O
sold	O
the	O
personal	O
data	O
of	O
Ukrainian	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
estimated	O
that	O
the	O
bot	B-Protocol
contains	O
data	O
from	O
26	O
million	O
Ukrainians	O
registered	O
in	O
the	O
Dіia	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Telegram	B-Application
bot	B-Protocol
was	O
blocked	O
by	O
Apple	O
in	O
2020	O
after	O
posting	O
deepfake	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
reportedly	O
banned	O
more	O
than	O
350,000	O
bots	B-Protocol
and	O
channels	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
that	O
contained	O
child	O
abuse	O
and	O
terrorism-related	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
2021	O
Myanmar	O
coup	O
d'état	O
,	O
pro-junta	O
and	O
pro-military	O
actors	O
,	O
including	O
nationalists	O
and	O
military	O
lobbyists	O
,	O
have	O
exploited	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
lax	O
content	O
moderation	O
approach	O
to	O
post	O
violent	O
and	O
misogynistic	O
content	O
against	O
resistance	O
groups	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
National	O
Unity	O
Government	O
,	O
People	O
's	O
Defence	O
Forces	O
,	O
and	O
individuals	O
supporting	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
democracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
move	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
accelerated	O
by	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
's	O
ban	O
of	O
Myanmar	O
military-linked	O
accounts	O
and	O
ads	O
following	O
the	O
coup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
actors	O
use	O
Telegram	B-Application
to	O
dox	B-Application
females	O
,	O
political	O
and	O
human	O
rights	O
activists	O
,	O
and	O
journalists	O
,	O
often	O
publishing	O
private	O
information	O
of	O
such	O
individuals	O
without	O
their	O
consent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
Office	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
Nations	O
High	O
Commissioner	O
for	O
Human	O
Rights	O
called	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
to	O
allocate	O
resources	O
"	O
to	O
identify	O
,	O
prevent	O
,	O
and	O
mitigate	O
human	O
rights	O
abuses	O
on	O
its	O
platform.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
had	O
blocked	O
at	O
least	O
13	O
pro-military	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
security	O
model	O
has	O
received	O
praise	O
and	O
notable	O
criticism	O
by	O
cryptography	O
experts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticisms	O
were	O
also	O
aimed	O
at	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
custom-designed	O
encryption	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
study	O
titled	O
"	O
Automated	O
Symbolic	O
Verification	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
’s	O
MTProto	O
2.0	O
"	O
was	O
published	O
,	O
confirming	O
the	O
security	O
of	O
the	O
updated	O
MTProto	O
2.0	O
and	O
reviewing	O
it	O
while	O
pointing	O
out	O
several	O
theoretical	O
vulnerabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
desktop	O
clients	B-Protocol
(	O
excluding	O
the	O
macOS	B-Application
client	B-Operating_System
)	O
do	O
not	O
feature	O
options	O
for	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
defended	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
ubiquitous	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
by	O
claiming	O
the	O
online-backups	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
use	O
client-side	B-Protocol
encryption	I-Protocol
are	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
secure	O
solution	O
currently	O
possible	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
critics	O
disputed	O
claims	O
by	O
Telegram	B-Application
that	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
more	O
secure	O
than	O
mass	O
market	O
messengers	B-Protocol
like	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
Line	B-Application
"	O
,	O
as	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
claims	O
to	O
apply	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
traffic	O
by	O
default	O
and	O
uses	O
the	O
Signal	B-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
"	O
reviewed	O
and	O
endorsed	O
by	O
leading	O
security	O
experts	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
Telegram	B-Application
does	O
neither	O
and	O
stores	O
all	O
messages	O
,	O
media	O
and	O
contacts	O
in	O
their	O
cloud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
July	O
2016	O
,	O
Line	B-Application
has	O
also	O
applied	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
messages	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
being	O
susceptible	O
to	O
replay	O
attacks	O
and	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
forward	O
secrecy	O
between	O
clients	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
an	O
author	O
on	O
the	O
Russian	O
programming	O
website	O
Habr	O
discovered	O
a	O
weakness	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
MTProto	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
an	O
attacker	O
to	O
mount	O
a	O
man-in-the-middle	O
attack	O
and	O
prevent	O
the	O
victim	O
from	O
being	O
alerted	O
by	O
a	O
changed	O
key	B-Algorithm
fingerprint	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
bug	O
was	O
fixed	O
on	O
the	O
day	O
of	O
the	O
publication	O
with	O
a	O
$	O
100,000	O
payout	O
to	O
the	O
author	O
and	O
a	O
statement	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
official	O
blog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
German	O
consumer	O
organization	O
Stiftung	O
Warentest	O
evaluated	O
several	O
data-protection	O
aspects	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
popular	O
instant-messaging	O
clients	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
rated	O
'	O
problematic	O
 '	O
(	O
)	O
overall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
organization	O
was	O
favorable	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
secure	O
chats	O
and	O
partially	O
free	O
code	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
mandatory	O
transfer	O
of	O
contact	O
data	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
servers	O
and	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
an	O
imprint	O
or	O
address	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
(	O
EFF	O
)	O
listed	O
Telegram	B-Application
on	O
its	O
"	O
Secure	O
Messaging	O
Scorecard	O
"	O
in	O
February	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
default	O
chat	O
function	O
received	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
4	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
scorecard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
default	O
chat	O
function	O
missed	O
points	O
because	O
the	O
communications	O
were	O
not	O
encrypted	O
with	O
keys	O
the	O
provider	O
did	O
n't	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
not	O
verify	O
contacts	O
 '	O
identities	O
,	O
and	O
past	O
messages	O
were	O
not	O
secure	O
if	O
the	O
encryption	O
keys	O
were	O
stolen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
optional	O
secret	O
chat	O
function	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
,	O
received	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
7	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
scorecard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
two	O
researchers	O
from	O
Aarhus	O
University	O
published	O
a	O
report	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
demonstrated	O
that	O
MTProto	O
1.0	O
did	O
not	O
achieve	O
indistinguishability	O
under	O
chosen-ciphertext	O
attack	O
(	O
IND-CCA	O
)	O
or	O
authenticated	B-Algorithm
encryption	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
they	O
said	O
they	O
saw	O
"	O
no	O
reason	O
why	O
 [ Telegram ] 	O
should	O
use	O
a	O
less	O
secure	O
encryption	O
scheme	O
when	O
more	O
secure	O
(	O
and	O
at	O
least	O
as	O
efficient	O
)	O
solutions	O
exist	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Telegram	B-Application
team	O
responded	O
that	O
the	O
flaw	O
does	O
not	O
affect	O
message	O
security	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
a	O
future	O
patch	O
would	O
address	O
the	O
concern	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
4.6	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
supports	O
MTProto	O
2.0	O
,	O
which	O
now	O
satisfied	O
the	O
conditions	O
for	O
IND-CCA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MTProto	O
2.0	O
is	O
seen	O
by	O
qualified	O
cryptographers	O
as	O
a	O
vast	O
improvement	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
accounts	O
of	O
several	O
Russian	O
opposition	O
members	O
were	O
hijacked	O
by	O
intercepting	O
the	O
SMS	O
messages	O
used	O
for	O
login	B-General_Concept
authorization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
recommended	O
using	O
the	O
optional	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Committee	O
to	O
Protect	O
Journalists	O
and	O
Nate	O
Cardozo	O
,	O
senior	O
staff	O
attorney	O
at	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
,	O
recommended	O
against	O
using	O
Telegram	B-Application
because	O
of	O
"	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
[	O
by	O
default ]	O
and	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
non-standard	O
MTProto	O
encryption	O
protocol	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
publicly	O
criticized	O
by	O
cryptography	O
researchers	O
,	O
including	O
Matthew	O
Green	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
2	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
Reuters	O
reported	O
that	O
Iranian	O
hackers	O
compromised	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
dozen	O
Telegram	B-Application
accounts	O
and	O
identified	O
the	O
phone	O
numbers	O
of	O
15	O
million	O
Iranian	O
users	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
associated	O
user	O
IDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attackers	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
a	O
programming	B-Application
interface	I-Application
built	O
into	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
these	O
mass	O
checks	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
possible	O
because	O
of	O
limitations	O
introduced	O
into	O
its	O
API	B-Application
earlier	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Login	B-General_Concept
SMS	O
messages	O
are	O
known	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
intercepted	O
in	O
Iran	O
,	O
Russia	O
and	O
Germany	O
,	O
possibly	O
in	O
coordination	O
with	O
phone	O
or	O
telecom	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pavel	O
Durov	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
users	O
in	O
"	O
troubled	O
countries	O
"	O
should	O
enable	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
by	O
creating	O
passwords	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
prevent	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Pavel	O
Durov	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
claimed	O
that	O
U.S.	O
intelligence	O
agencies	O
tried	O
to	O
bribe	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
developers	O
to	O
weaken	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
encryption	O
or	O
install	O
a	O
backdoor	O
during	O
their	O
visit	O
to	O
the	O
U.S.	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
sent	O
a	O
message	O
to	O
all	O
Iranian	O
users	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
Telegram	B-Application
Talai	O
and	O
Hotgram	O
unofficial	O
clients	B-Protocol
are	O
not	O
secure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
promised	O
that	O
"	O
all	O
code	O
will	O
be	O
released	O
eventually	O
"	O
,	O
including	O
all	O
the	O
various	O
client	B-Protocol
applications	I-Protocol
(	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
desktop	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
the	O
server-side	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
May	O
2021	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
still	O
has	O
n't	O
published	O
their	O
server-side	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Durov	O
explained	O
his	O
rationale	O
for	O
not	O
releasing	O
server-side	O
code	O
,	O
citing	O
reasons	O
such	O
as	O
inability	O
for	O
end-users	O
to	O
verify	O
that	O
the	O
released	O
code	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
code	O
run	O
on	O
servers	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
government	O
that	O
wanted	O
to	O
acquire	O
the	O
server	B-Application
code	O
and	O
make	O
a	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
that	O
would	O
end	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
9	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
The	O
Intercept	O
released	O
leaked	O
Telegram	B-Application
messages	O
exchanged	O
between	O
current	O
Brazilian	O
Minister	O
of	O
Justice	O
and	O
former	O
judge	O
Sérgio	O
Moro	O
and	O
federal	O
prosecutors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Telegram	B-Application
team	O
tweeted	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
either	O
because	O
the	O
user	O
had	O
malware	O
or	O
they	O
were	O
not	O
using	O
two-step	O
verification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
12	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
confirmed	O
that	O
it	O
suffered	O
a	O
denial-of-service	O
attack	O
which	O
disrupted	O
normal	O
app	O
functionality	O
for	O
approximately	O
one	O
hour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pavel	O
Durov	O
tweeted	O
that	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
used	O
in	O
the	O
attack	O
mostly	O
came	O
from	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
30	O
March	O
2020	O
,	O
an	O
Elasticsearch	B-Application
database	O
holding	O
42	O
million	O
records	O
containing	O
user	O
IDs	O
and	O
phone	O
numbers	O
of	O
Iranian	O
users	O
was	O
exposed	O
online	O
without	O
a	O
password	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
accounts	O
were	O
extracted	O
from	O
not	O
Telegram	B-Application
but	O
an	O
unofficial	O
version	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
in	O
what	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
possibly	O
government-sanctioned	O
fork	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Iran	O
's	O
RampantKitten	O
ran	O
a	O
phishing	O
and	O
surveillance	O
campaign	O
against	O
dissidents	O
on	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attack	O
relied	O
on	O
people	O
downloading	O
a	O
malware-infected	O
file	O
from	O
any	O
source	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
it	O
would	O
replace	O
Telegram	B-Application
files	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
and	O
'	O
clone	O
 '	O
session	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
found	O
that	O
attackers	O
had	O
the	O
theoretical	O
ability	O
to	O
reorder	O
messages	O
coming	O
from	O
the	O
client	B-Operating_System
to	O
the	O
server	B-Application
though	O
the	O
attacker	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
content	O
of	O
the	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
other	O
theoretical	O
vulnerabilities	O
were	O
reported	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
which	O
Telegram	B-Application
released	O
a	O
document	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
MITM	O
attack	O
on	O
the	O
key	O
exchange	O
was	O
impossible	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
detailing	O
the	O
changes	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
protocol	O
to	O
protect	O
from	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
bug	O
was	O
patched	O
prior	O
to	O
publication	O
and	O
Telegram	B-Application
representatives	O
offered	O
a	O
€	O
1,000	O
bug	O
bounty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
Norwegian	O
National	O
Security	O
Authority	O
(	O
NSM	O
)	O
advised	O
against	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
business	O
devices	O
(	O
especially	O
the	O
ones	O
used	O
for	O
government	O
related	O
activities	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
assessment	O
has	O
been	O
commissioned	O
and	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Justice	O
and	O
Public	O
Security	O
,	O
Emilie	O
Enger	O
Mehl	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regarding	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
the	O
report	O
cites	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
its	O
Russian	O
origins	O
and	O
third-party	O
open	B-Algorithm
source	I-Algorithm
intelligence	I-Algorithm
as	O
major	O
critical	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
organized	O
two	O
cryptography	O
contests	O
to	O
challenge	O
its	O
own	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
researcher	O
Moxie	O
Marlinspike	O
,	O
founder	O
of	O
the	O
competing	O
Signal	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
,	O
and	O
commenters	O
on	O
Hacker	B-Application
News	I-Application
criticized	O
the	O
first	O
contest	O
for	O
being	O
rigged	O
or	O
framed	O
in	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
favor	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
Telegram	B-Application
's	O
statements	O
on	O
the	O
value	O
of	O
these	O
contests	O
as	O
proof	O
of	O
the	O
cryptography	O
's	O
quality	O
are	O
misleading	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
because	O
the	O
cryptography	O
contest	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
won	O
even	O
with	O
completely	O
broken	O
algorithms	O
such	O
as	O
MD2	B-Algorithm
(	O
hash	O
function	O
)	O
used	O
as	O
key	O
stream	O
extractor	O
,	O
and	O
primitives	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Dual	B-Algorithm
EC	I-Algorithm
DRBG	I-Algorithm
that	O
is	O
known	O
to	O
be	O
backdoored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
has	O
been	O
blocked	O
temporarily	O
or	O
permanently	O
by	O
some	O
governments	O
including	O
Iran	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
Pakistan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Russian	O
government	O
blocked	O
Telegram	B-Application
for	O
several	O
years	O
before	O
lifting	O
the	O
ban	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
the	O
main	O
subject	O
surrounding	O
the	O
2019	O
Puerto	O
Rico	O
riots	O
that	O
ended	O
up	O
in	O
the	O
resignation	O
of	O
then-Governor	O
Ricardo	O
Rosselló	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
regional	O
elections	O
in	O
Russia	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
suspended	O
several	O
bots	B-Protocol
spreading	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
election	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
bot	B-Protocol
run	O
by	O
the	O
opposition	O
party	O
and	O
critics	O
of	O
incumbent	O
president	O
Vladimir	O
Putin	O
's	O
government	O
,	O
citing	O
election	O
silence	O
as	O
the	O
reason	O
,	O
though	O
a	O
blog	O
post	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
CEO	O
implied	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
following	O
Apple	O
and	O
Google	O
,	O
which	O
"	O
dictate	O
the	O
rules	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
developers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blocking	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
Smart	B-Device
Voting	O
bot	B-Protocol
was	O
criticized	O
by	O
allies	O
of	O
Alexei	O
Navalny	O
,	O
a	O
Kremlin	O
critic	O
and	O
former	O
opposition	O
leader	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Navalny	O
's	O
spokeswoman	O
Kira	O
Yarmysh	O
called	O
the	O
block	O
and	O
the	O
deletion	O
of	O
the	O
tactical	O
voting	O
app	O
from	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
"	O
censorship	O
 [ ... ] 	O
imposed	O
by	O
private	O
companies	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
later	O
blog	O
post	O
,	O
Durov	O
directly	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
block	O
was	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
pressure	O
from	O
Google	O
and	O
Apple	O
as	O
refusal	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
their	O
policies	O
would	O
result	O
"	O
in	O
an	O
immediate	O
shutdown	O
of	O
Telegram	B-Application
for	O
millions	O
of	O
users	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
post	O
included	O
a	O
screenshot	O
showing	O
an	O
internal	O
email	O
sent	O
by	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
to	O
developers	O
,	O
demanding	O
the	O
takedown	O
of	O
content	O
related	O
to	O
Navalny	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
24	O
,	O
following	O
an	O
order	O
by	O
the	O
Delhi	O
High	O
Court	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
was	O
ordered	O
to	O
disclose	O
the	O
admin	O
names	O
,	O
phone	O
numbers	O
and	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
of	O
channels	O
accused	O
of	O
unauthorised	O
sharing	O
of	O
national	O
exam	O
study	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
originally	O
argued	O
that	O
its	O
regional	O
servers	O
were	O
located	O
in	O
Singapore	O
and	O
thus	O
no	O
data	O
could	O
be	O
disclosed	O
as	O
the	O
local	O
laws	O
prohibit	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
