Telegram Ban in India Over Illegal Activities?
Telegram is a top-rated messaging app but in recent years it has become a concern for many countries, India is one of them, The Indian government’s concern is that the app is involved in illegal activities such as extortion, gambling, and other serious crimes, due to this government app likely to ban. In this article, we will cover everything related to the Telegram ban read more.
What is Telegram, and Why is it Popular?
Telegram is a messaging app like WhatsApp, it has millions of users in India, this app is known for its privacy and features which include end-to-end encryption, which means the message is private and secure no one can read the message between sender and receiver, users can create groups, bots, groupe restriction like only admin can send a message, it supports upto 2GB file while transferring and people are using for both purposes individual of business.
This app’s encryption and privacy attract criminals for illegal activities, it has in observed that people use this app for illegal activities which include extortion, gambling, and even the distribution of illegal content, The Indian government is investigating the app.
Why is the Indian Government Concerned?
The Indian major concern is that the app is being used for illegal activities the app uses a tight encryption policy and it is very difficult to monitor or intercept the communications, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is currently investigating the app and understanding the how can crimes and illegal activity control, and few more countries are also Investigating, The France Police arrested Puvol Durov founder of Telegram on 24-aug-2024.
- Extortion: It comes a report that telegram is being used for extortion purposes, illegal groups take advantage of encryption, they can communicate with anyone without restriction, and in some cases, they threaten and ask for money.
- Gambling: In recent years telegram has become a hub for gambling, where the users join the group privately and organize the games which include sports, cannel, and other games that cause a financial loss and indirectly give funding for illegal activities
- Distribution of Illegal Content: People are distributing copyrighted content over telegram groups and channels which include new movies, software, and explicit material such as pornography.
- Drug Trafficking: In some reports, it was suggested that dealers and buyers use this app for drug dealing to communicate through Telegrams, but due to encryption it is difficult to trace.
- Spreading Misinformation and Hate Speech: Telegram has now become a headquarters of fake news, misinformation, hate speech, and illegal groups, and thousands of people become victims of this bogus information.
Indian government’s biggest challenge is that the app does not operate any office or not any official available in India, so it is hard to impose any rules on it and get information from the company, this app is operated from Dubai and was founded in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, In the year 2023 India banned the 232 Chinese apps due this activity, so there a high chance of ban of telegram.
Is Telegram Following the Rules?
Indian IT ministry applied strict rules for all social media platforms to restrict people from posting controversial posts, hurting religious sentiments, illegal content sharing, sexual content, pornography, and other illegal activities, but the telegram key feature encryption does not allow anyone to break their encryption that means the app may be used for the illegal activities, and as an app does not have the office in India and the app.
Recent Controversies and Increased Scrutiny
It was found that several controversies had happened where the exam paper was leaked, telegram apps were used for the major exam paper leak scandal in India and exam paper was sold on other platforms, due to this scandal students were very angry.
Will Telegram Be Banned?
The Indian government has now become very strict if any app is not following the Indian IT ministry policy then the Indian government is likely to ban that app in the year 2023 India banned 232 apps Chinese apps due to national security threats including TikTok and Pubg, this issue with those apps were.
What Does This Mean for Users?
Telegram’s 5 million registered users are from India if the Indian government banned Telegram then these users will be affected, people are not only using Telegram for chatting with friends, They are using it for educational purposes, work, and other purposes, however, people can switch to other, where they might get fewer features, in recent years the Indian government has introduced new rules to control and protect the digital platforms such social media, E-commerce and digital payments and government aim is to protect people national security.
