TELEGRAMConspiracy, Fake News, Crime: Why Is Telegram Controversial?

By Thomas Latschan

Published 29 August 2024

Telegram has been used by all sides in Russia, both pro-and anti-government groups. The arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in Paris has left Russia’s opposition worried. But the messaging app is well known for its drawbacks.

Iran 2017-2018: Protests break out in the city of Mashhad — calling out corruption, mismanagement and rising food prices. Within days the protests spread to a dozen other cities and rural communities across the country. The government in Tehran has difficulty getting them under control.

Thailand 2020: Resistance to the military regime of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha grows at universities across the country after being started by an opposition party. The protests quickly pick up steam, eventually leading to a “state of emergency.”

Belarus 2020: Presidential elections are slated to take place in a country run for decades by an autocrat. Dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s announces he has won reelection in the vote. Months of mass demonstrations ensue.

Anonymous Accounts, Unlimited Chat Group Sizes 
All of these, as well as other protests have one thing in common: They were largely organized on Telegram.

The messaging service has become one of the most popular in the world since it was co-founded by Pavel Durov — who is currently in detention in Paris — in 2013.

More than 900 million people use Telegram, which boasts that it regulates content much less strictly than other messaging services. The app also works when the internet is operating at extremely slow speeds — like when governments attempt to choke usage.

Moreover, chat groups with up to 20,000 participants can be created — allowing for the quick mobilization of very large crowds of people.

The app also promises users an especially high level of anonymity. Though customers need to register a cellphone number when opening an account, they can submit a user name that can be used without allowing other chat group members to see that number. All of these functions make Telegram especially interesting to certain groups.

Fake News, Propaganda and Extremism
Opposition groups living under authoritarian regimes are not the only ones interested, however. Telegram also became a go-to platform for COVID-19 deniers in 2020.

After Parler — a platform largely favored by rightwing extremists and radical populists spreading far-right content — was temporarily shut down, Telegram became their new platform of preference, with numerous fake news and disinformation campaigns popping up on it. 

Telegram also attracts cyber criminals — Pavel Durov is accused, among other things, of allowing organized crime to flourish on his platform, not hindering the distribution of child pornography, and covering up crimes.