Maroc - POPDIARIES.COM - A La Une - 29/Aug 08:37

Telegram Banned In India; know details

TELEGRAM BAN Telegram, a widely-used messaging app, is facing intense scrutiny in India due to its alleged involvement in various criminal activities. The platform has become a prominent channel for distributing leaked exam papers, child pornography, stock price manipulation, and extortion. Cyber experts, law enforcement officials, and former government officials have even likened Telegram to the dark web because of its association with such illicit operations. This scrutiny intensified after Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained in France on August 24. French authorities are investigating Durov for failing to adequately address criminal activities on the platform, including the spread of child sexual abuse material. This incident has drawn global attention to the challenges Telegram poses for law enforcement and digital content moderation. On August 26, the Paris prosecutor announced that the investigation into Durov involves allegations of illicit transactions, child pornography, fraud, and failure to provide information to authorities. In response, Telegram maintained its position, stating, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform." Telegram, launched in 2013 by Pavel and Nikolai Durov, now boasts 950 million users, a significant increase from 550 million in 2022.  On July 24, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) uncovered a stock price manipulation scheme operating through Telegram. The administrator of a Telegram group was accused of receiving ₹20 lakh in commission for manipulating the stock prices of a steel sheet manufacturing firm.  On May 3, two men from Bhopal were arrested for defrauding a local doctor of ₹38 lakh by using Telegram to impersonate police officers and conduct a fake interrogation. On June 19, 2023, the UGC-NET exam, which had about 900,000 applicants, was canceled a day after it was held due to a question paper leak on Telegram. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed that the leaked questions matched the original UGC-NET questions, stating, “All these activities took place on Telegram these days. It is a challenge to track the complex nature of Telegram without a high-level investigation,” as reported by Hindustan Times. On May 3, 2023, numerous NEET-UG applicants reportedly received advance copies of exam questions, leading to one of the largest exam controversies in India and prompting a federal investigation and Supreme Court intervention. Law enforcement officials say Telegram’s anonymity features pose significant challenges. A senior officer from the Delhi Police cybercrime unit told Hindustan Times, “One of the most rampant scams on Telegram is investment fraud, where users are added to a group and advised to invest money in stocks via a fake application that mimics a legitimate stock trading app.” The officer also mentioned that other illicit activities on Telegram include purchasing fake SIM cards and sharing bank account details with cyber fraudsters.